


We are the Shield (Protecting Humankind)

by hopecanbeyoursword



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Daisy swears, F/F, F/M, Gen, Grant Ward Redemption, Inhumans (Marvel), Morning Sickness, Possible Violence Later On, Pregnancy, Resurrection, Truth Serum, descriptions of injuries, set after 5x14, ward comes back
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-04-08 14:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 63,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14107242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopecanbeyoursword/pseuds/hopecanbeyoursword
Summary: Grant Ward awakens in New Jersey, long after he died, after HIVE was defeated. He doesn't know how or why he's alive, and makes the tough decision to track down his old SHEILD team, hoping they may be able to shed some light on his situation.Things have changed, and he has to work on getting them to trust him as they try to prevent a future they've seen with their own eyes, balancing saving the world yet again with their own personal struggles.(takes place after 5x14, canon divergence from there on out)tags will be updated as the story progressesON HIATUS, WILL BE FINISHED





	1. Here We Go Again

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoy this show, and the most recent episodes have shown great developments between characters. I wanted to write something for this fandom, and have for awhile, and it seemed like it was time.
> 
> I have mixed feelings about Grant Ward, but I found the idea interesting if he came back, and ended up being an important part to changing the future.
> 
> This won't focus on romance, except for Fitz/Simmons (and maybe some Elena/Mack), as it's mostly redemption, friendship, and saving the world.

He blinked, adjusting to the sun that was streaming in the window.

_Wait, sunlight?_ he paused.

The last thing he remembered was Coulson’s face as the man killed him, leaving him on that desolate planet. He remembered the feeling of his chest being crushed as he struggled to take a breath, wondering how everything had gotten that far.

Ward stood up, muscles tense as he crept over to the window. He peered out, taking in the bustling city and the swarm of people making their way to work. As he scanned his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was, he heard a knock on the door.

Cautiously, he headed for the door, peeking through the peephole. He saw a petite woman dressed in a maid’s uniform.

“Mr. Phillips? Do you need anything?”

“No, thank you,” Ward responded as he moved away from the door to rummage through the bag that was on a nearby table to find clues to what was going on.

“Your checkout time is in an hour,” the maid responded before leaving.

Ward made a mental note of the time, before turning back to the contents of the bag. There was a handgun, stacks of money totaling a thousand dollars in US currency and a few hundred in other currency, three fake IDs, the one he was apparently registered under being ‘Zachary Phillips,’ a phone and a couple tracking devices. 

He pulled the gun out, checking the bullets, before tucking it into his waist band, pulling the hem of his shirt over it. It felt natural to hold the handgun in his hand, like he had never died.

Ward wasn’t sure how he was alive, or why. He stared at himself in the mirror, taking in his appearance. His face was slightly more gaunt than it had used to be, and he didn’t have as much muscle mass. But it was him, the same familiar eyes and nose.

He tore his gaze away from the mirror, looking at the room. He glanced at the phone he had set on the dresser, before picking it up, using it to figure out what he had missed when he had been dead.

It surprised him to see how much had happened, with SHEILD, with Inhumans and the government. He typed Coulson’s name into the search engine, where he discovered an article that stated the man and his team, some of the last remnants of SHIELD, were at the top of the FBI’s most wanted list. There were names he didn’t recognize listed, including Elena Rodriguez, Alphonso Mackenzie and Daisy Johnson, though the last one seemed familiar somehow. Then there were the names of his former teammates, Jemma Simmons, Leopold Fitz and Melinda May. He wondered what had happened to Bobbi and Hunter, knowing they had joined the team at some point.

But most of all, he wanted to know what had happened to Skye. She and Coulson were close, almost like a family, and he knew the hacker was also close with the two scientists.

Ward knew it would be easy to figure out what had happened to her since he had last seen her, but after returning from the dead, and being thrown into the current world, he wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to hear she had left, or that she had died.

Instead, he packed up the few belongings he had, before heading down to the front counter of the hotel, checking out.

As he exited the building, he spotted familiar buildings, letting him know he was in New Jersey.

Keeping his head down, unsure if anyone would be able to recognize him due to his slightly jumbled memories and not knowing who was still alive, he made his way down the street. He needed to find a place to go, but there were never many people he could trust or who trusted him. Most people would freak out when they saw him, as he had been dead.

SHEILD would be the only ones who could make some sense out of it, as Coulson had also been brought back before.

It would be risky, searching for his old team, the FBI’s most wanted, when he knew they would want to shoot him on sight for what he had done. He wasn’t sure how he’d feel seeing them again, either. They hadn’t parted on good terms, and there would be risks. He didn’t know what skills the agents he didn’t recognize had.

But they were his only chance to figure out what was going on, the only part of the world that he could understand at the moment. Sliding on a pair of sunglasses he had found, he headed towards the nearest bus station.

It would take time, especially as he only had a phone to research with, but he hoped his years with SHIELD would lend enough information to find who he was looking for.

-/-

He pulled out one of his ids, handing it to the woman behind the counter. She glanced at it, before handing it back along with a train ticket.

He nodded his thanks, before weaving in between people as he made his way to the right platform. Ward had decided to check out a few bases he knew SHEILD had, see if he could find the team, or clues that would lead to them. He was nowhere as near as good as Skye was at hacking, but he hadn't been a SHEILD agent for nothing. He could probably find something, even if it was just a memo, that would help his search.

He found a secluded seat, and kept to himself, eyes alert as he watched people come and go, ready to jump into action if something happened. Out of instinct, he scanned for cameras or any tails, like he had never spent a day away from being an agent.

It was night fall by the time he reached his destination, and he stepped out into an unfamiliar station. A poster on a nearby wall caught his eye, familiar faces staring back out at him. Ward grabbed the poster, folding it into fourths before tucking it into his pocket, before quickly hurrying out of the station.

He had research to do.

-/-

Ward shut and locked the door behind him, before tossing his bag onto the nearby chair. 

He was in another hotel, under a different alias. He wasn’t sure if anyone would even think to look at him, believe that he could be brought back. But if someone did, he didn’t want them to find him, at least, not yet. He’d stay away from the government, from this General Hale he had researched, from anyone that would know him through HYDRA. Even SHIELD was risky, though his ex teammates were the closest ones to people he could trust.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ward pulled out the folded poster he had taken from the station, unfolding it. 

At the top were two familiar faces, belonging to Coulson and May. Their faces were more worn, from battle and their experiences. Below their photos were Fitz and Simmons, eyes harder than he remembered. They had never been the type to engage in physical combat when he had known them, but times changed.

Next, were two photos, one of a woman, and one of a man. They were labeled Elena Rodriguez and Alphonso Mackenzie. Below Elena’s photo was a note, stating she was Inhuman, as well as a brief description of what was known about her powers. Mackenzie looked familiar to Ward, but he couldn’t recall ever personally meeting the man.

And then there was the face he had been hoping to see. _Skye._

She looked different than the last time he saw her. Her hair was shorter than he remembered, and her old smile had been replaced by a hard stare, a poker face worth of Melinda May. No longer was she a rookie, a joking hacker. She was an agent who had faced more than he could probably imagine.

Ward frowned when he saw the name printed under her photo. _Daisy Johnson._ If he really thought about it, he could recall her father, remember what Skye’s true name was, but hadn’t expected her to embrace it and make it her own.

Under her photo, just like Elena’s, was a note stating she was Inhuman, details about her powers, and an alias she must’ve used at some point. Quake.

He was glad to see she was alive, that she had a team behind her. While he may not have agreed with all their decisions or gotten along with the team, he knew they would have Skye’s best interest in mind.

Knowing he wouldn’t be getting much sleep, he pulled his phone out, searching for news about Quake, and Daisy Johnson, from before they became fugitives.

He read up on the Watchdogs, and the Secret Warriors. Skye had lead the Warriors, a group of Inhumans, which included Elena Rodriguez who was still on their team, and two others, Lincoln Campbell and Joey Gutierrez. As the last two names weren’t part of the current team, Ward assumed they had either quit or died.

Somehow, he found his way to one ofHYDRA’s old, hidden databases, and what he found made him pause. There was a picture of him, but after he had died.

Hive had taken over his body, had killed many, and then was later killed by the joint efforts of Lincoln and Daisy.

It was sometime after that that Quake had appeared, destroying buildings, reducing them to rubble.

Many odd sightings had begun to happen, and more Inhumans started showing up everywhere. Some were taken hostage by the government, some killed, and SHEILD got to some of them. They were powerful, Ward knew that.

He just hoped when he found his old team that Skye and Elena wouldn’t immediately attack him, that at least Coulson would give him the benefit of the doubt. Ward expected no compassion from the others, knowing what he had done to Fitz, Simmons and Skye being the worst, and he hadn’t been exactly nice to May either. Coulson had killed him the first time, so the ex-Hydra agent knew Coulson wouldn’t hesitate, but also knew the man would want to know how he had returned.

Though Ward didn’t know, he hoped he could find out with their help.


	2. At the Lighthouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the Lighthouse, the inhabitants are struggling with their own problems, as well as trying to get Coulson back and save the world. Sometimes, it's a little too much.

Daisy popped a few pieces of popcorn in her mouth as she walked down the hallways of the Lighthouse, heading to the room they had made their common room.

Jemma and Piper were both there, sitting on opposite sides of the room. Jemma was running her fingers over her ring, staring at a poster on the wall while Piper was sitting on a love seat, legs crossed as she typed away on a laptop.

Rolling her eyes, Daisy walked over, plopping down on the space besides Simmons, offering the biochemist the bowl of popcorn.

Jemma smiled slightly, taking a few pieces from the offered bowl, leaning her head against Daisy’s shoulder.

“How’s Fitz?” Daisy asked quietly, trying not to push her friend. She still wasn’t ready to forgive her friend for what he had done to her, but she knew Simmons was hurting.

“He’s not the best,” Jemma admitted as her friend got comfortable. “He’s confused about what was him, and what he imagined. He’s stuck in his head again, hating what he’s done. He doesn’t think he deserves any of this, any of us in his life.” She fiddled with her wedding ring, running her finger across it, finding comfort in knowing it was there. “I haven’t told him yet, about Deke.”

Daisy sat up straighter. “Are you going to?” she asked. Jemma had told her in secret hours after Deke had revealed who he was. It had taken Jemma by surprise, but the words her grandson said to her were the words she really needed to hear. She wasn’t ready to tell anyone else about it, but Daisy was her best friend and it wasn’t something she could keep to herself. The Inhuman promised to keep it a secret until the biochemist was ready to tell the rest of the team. “And what about—?” Daisy hesitated, leaving her question open-ended, referring to what Jemma had confided in her about the way the future was going to go, the start of the future Deke knew about, the people he knew.

“Eventually,” Jemma responded. “I want to tell him, let him know that we will recover from this. But he’s not in a place where he’ll want to listen to something like this. Or at the very least, won’t want to believe it’s real. He’ll think it’s his mind playing tricks on him again.”

“Hey, you know he would be happy if you told him about the other thing,” Daisy nudged her friend gently, running her fingers through Jemma’s hair.

“A week ago, I would’ve agreed with you. But now,” Jemma sighed, “after what his mind has gone through, I want him to work on recovering. I want him to be able to tell apart what is really, and what isn’t. I don’t want him to doubt that this is real.”

“I understand,” Daisy comforted her friend as they curled up together, the bowl of popcorn long forgotten on the floor. “We all have scars to heal from. But we’ll get there. We have each other.”

 

* * *

 

Piper had left the room after noting that Daisy and Jemma were having a private conversation, and made her down the hallways, not really having a destination in mind. She felt out of place with the team, knowing they had been through much more together than she could ever understand. As well, she still felt bad about siding with Hale, and was working to redeem herself. She had honestly thought she had been doing the right thing, but now wished she could change her choice. Maybe Elena would still have her arms.

Piper sighed as she entered the room she was staying in, taking in the bare walls and the bland sheets on the bed. She wasn’t really a part of the team yet, but she hoped she could be. They needed all the help they could get, and she felt that since she wasn’t wanted by the FBI, she could help out in the real world when they couldn’t.

She didn’t have many people she could rely on, not since SHIELD fell and they had to go into hiding. Any former agents that had survived were scattered across the world, in hiding for the most part.

Not many were still active, Coulson’s team being some of the only ones still in the public eye. May was the one Piper stayed in contact with, who fed her leads to follow.

Piper would be leaving in a few days to track down someone else they thought would be helpful to gather information to Hale’s whereabouts now that she had Coulson.

For now, she’d spend her next few days at the Lighthouse training with May and Daisy, and learning the ins and outs of the team, and trying to redeem herself.

She made her way down the hallway, stopping in front of the med bay. She peered in the window, watching how Elena and Mack were talking quietly, probably arguing over what Elena felt she was capable to do. Elena wanted to be active, didn’t want to just stay still in the med bay and recover while everyone else was working. Mack, however, while he respected she wanted to do something, didn’t want her to overwork herself, wanted her to recover.

They had come to an agreement on the creation of new arms for her, but that’s as far as they had gotten.

Piper smiled wistfully as she watched them, ducking down the next hallway when she noticed Mack was headed for the door. Piper walked in the first door she came to, coming face to face with May who has working on a punching bag.

May looked up, pushing a strand of hair away from her face when Piper stepped in, raising an eyebrow. “Are you here to join me?”

Piper glanced down at her clothes, before looking back up at the older woman. “Yeah, I could do with some training.” She pulled her shoes off, leaving them by the door as she shed her jacket, tossing it onto a nearby chair.

As May turned back to the punching bag, Piper walked over to the nearby closet, grabbing a pair of handwraps. The younger agent leaned against the wall as she wrapped her hands, flexing her fingers to test the tightness. Once she was satisfied with her wrap job, she made her way over to May, standing besides her as the two began punching the bag.

It was a satisfying feeling to hear the dull _thump_ of fists against the bag, and for the next thirty minutes, it was all Piper was focused on.

 

* * *

 

Jemma sighed as she peered in the glass to look at Fitz who was currently asleep in the cold holding room.

She pressed her left hand against the glass as if through sheer will she could reach through and comfort him. She hated seeing him like this, alone and angry. It reminded her of when he had woken up after their time at the bottom of the ocean, angry at himself for not knowing what word to use. It reminder her of the way he retreated into himself after they emerged from the Framework, terrified that the team would see him as the Doctor, that he would become the Doctor.

Jemma knew that Fitz had always been terrified that the darkness he buried way down deep would one day rise to the surface, and that the Framework had made his worst nightmare come true.

They both had darkness in them, they all did. It was a part of all of them, but Jemma didn’t want her other half to let himself succumb to it, let it rule his life.

His mind had always been important to him, something he prided himself on. It had gotten him into the Academy, had gotten him this far even with all the setbacks.

But each time he faced a setback, he grew more frustrated with himself and retreated further into himself. He had recovered from the brain damage he received when Ward dropped them to the bottom of the ocean, but it took a long time, and he was never exactly the same again.

Jemma still felt awful that she hadn’t been able to really be there for him, but seeing him tripping over his words made her heart hurt. She wanted to be there for him, wanted to push her worries aside and put him first, but she hadn’t been able to. She was just glad that Mack had been there for him, giving him another friend who could help him heal, that believed in him.

The Framework had taken a long time to heal from, and it seemed now that he had never fully recovered. He had been hearing the Doctor for awhile before he started seeing him. Jemma wished she had been able to see it sooner, had been able to get him some help, even if it was just being there with him.

Their wedding was supposed to be a light in the darkness they were living in, supposed to give the team hope. 

But now she was on one side of the glass, her husband on the other, alone, because he didn’t think he deserved to have any of them in his life. 

Jemma pressed her hand against her mouth as she stumbled away, trying to hold back her sobs. As soon as she made it to her room, the one she was supposed to be sharing with Fitz, she collapsed against it, tears spilling down her face.

They had been through so much, and the world kept throwing challenges at them before they were ready.

She cried for her and Leo, that the future they should be sharing had come to a grinding halt. She cried for YoYo who was still struggling with the loss of her arms, and the thought that the future she wanted may never happen. She cried for Daisy and the pain she went through getting her inhibitor removed and the fact she was dealing with the thought that she would destroy the world. She cried because Coulson was gone, alone with Hale as he was dying. She cried for Mack, knowing he was afraid of losing Elena when he had already lost Hope twice. She cried for Piper, knowing the girl was shouldering a lot of guilt because she had worked with Hale, felt like it was her fault Elena lost her arms. She cried for May who had lost her ex-husband and the girl she raised as her own, and kept turning around to fight to save the world. She cried for Deke, confused in a world that he had never seen before.

But mostly, she cried for the future generations, knowing what they would face if her team couldn’t change the future. And in that moment, it seemed impossible.

 

* * *

Daisy stared at her hands as she sat on her bed, legs crossed.

She had secluded herself in her room, the excuse of taking a much needed nap shaking everyone off her back. Daisy wished she could sleep, knew her body was suffering from the amount of hours she stayed awake, training or watching monitors, but sleep kept evading her. It had been days, maybe even a couple of weeks, since she had last gotten more than five hours uninterrupted hours of sleep, and she knew the team was concerned about her. However, she pushed their worries aside, focusing on trying to stop the future they had seen.

For awhile, she felt like without her powers, she wouldn’t destroy the world and the future they had been to would never happen. It would be easy enough to accomplish. But she had her powers back now, and while part of her was glad, the rest of her was terrified. She didn’t want to be the one to destroy the world, would rather give up her powers forever if it gave them even the smallest of chances to change the future they had seen.

She had always known her powers could bring destruction, knew she had to be careful with them. When she had first gotten them, Jiaying and Lincoln had helped her learn to use them in the safety of the Afterlife, where she couldn’t hurt anyone. Even when she returned to the “real world,” Lincoln had been there, a friend and doctor who understood her biology when no one else did, when SHEILD was still cautious about her and her powers. But they were both dead now, and she didn’t know where to turn.

Elena was the only other one in the Lighthouse who could understand what it was like to have powers, but she was dealing with other things. Daisy didn’t want to bother her, knowing that YoYo needed to recover. The faster she recovered, the faster she could be back on her feet, and the Colombian woman wanted nothing more than to not be stuck in the med bay anymore. She was going stir crazy, and was slowly wearing Mack down into letting her do more.

Instead of bothering her teammate, Daisy pulled out a box she never thought she would open again. Wrapped up carefully under some other knick knacks, including pictures of everyone who had once been a member of the team, a picture of Agent Avery, and a few pieces of jewelry and a book, was a pair of gloves that Jemma had made, an upgrade from the original ones. No one else besides the two girls knew they existed, something that Daisy had wanted when she first asked her friend to make them. To Daisy, they were a last resort, something she’d wear only if it came to it.

It finally seemed like the right time. She would do anything if it meant changing the future, never becoming Quake, Destroyer of Worlds, leaving destruction in her wake as her legacy.

She ran her hands gently across them, feeling the material that would help keep her powers at bay. They were black, just like the first pair, but lighter, more advanced.

Daisy held them in her hands, staring at them, for a long time, before she pushed her thoughts aside, pulling them on. The black fabric reached halfway up her forearms, so light that she barely felt them. They looked high tech, and Daisy didn’t expect anything less from the brilliant mind of Jemma Simmons.

She flex her fingers, feeling the fabric move easily with her movements.

Satisfied that they would help her stop using her powers, she returned everything else to the box, locking it, before sliding it back under her bed.

Walking over the the full length mirror she had on her door, she stared at herself. She looked way older than she did years ago when she still lived in her van, before she was dragged into the world of agents, 084s and war. She could see it in her eyes, everything she had gone through, the bags and discoloration under her eyes reflecting how little sleep she got, and all her worries. Gone were the plaid shirts and colorful dresses, black mission outfits and leather jackets in their place.

She had lost many people over the years, but had also found a family of her own, one that she was living with now.

Despite everything she had gone through, she never wished she could change the day Ward wrapped a bag around her head and lead her onto the bus. It set her world into motion, and led her to a life where she finally had people who had her best interest at heart, even when she didn’t want them to.

She had Coulson and May, who were like parents to her, parents who hadn’t gone crazy or tried to kill her. She had YoYo and Mack, who were like cool older siblings, that she could spar with. And then she had Leo and Jemma, who meant the world to her, even after everything that happened, who she watched out for and would do anything for.

That’s why she rushed to Jemma’s room when she heard noises coming from it, pushing open the door before rushing to the bathroom in the back.

“Oh, Jemma,” Daisy murmured as she approached her friend, kneeling down besides her. Daisy started rubbing soothing circles on Jemma’s back as she held the biochemist’s hair away from her face.

Jemma’s stomach heaved as she emptied it, cheeks flushed and forehead sweaty. Once she was done, she leaned back against her friend, too exhausted to move.

The girls sat there for a few minutes, before Daisy was able to extract herself, grabbing a towel from a nearby shelf. She ran it under water, leaving it on the side of the sink as she managed to half carry Jemma to her bed, getting her settled before disappearing back into the bathroom.

She grabbed the towel, before going back into the bedroom, sitting next to her friend. Daisy gently wiped the towel across her friend’s flushed face, cooling her down as she wiped the sweat away.

When she was done, she placed the towel on the nearby night table, before turning back to her friend. “Let’s get you changed, then you should get some rest.”

Daisy found a pair of soft sleep shorts and a white tank top in Jemma’s drawers, grabbing them before closing the bedroom door, locking it.

She gently pulled Jemma’s socks and shoes off, leaving them on the ground before pulling the scientist’s sweater off, using the now cool towel to cool the girl’s skin down.

Once Jemma was out of her clothes and into a pair of cooler pajamas, Daisy put everything away, before sitting back down next to her friend.

“Do you want me to stay with you?” she whispered as she pushed Jemma’s hair away from her face.

Jemma nodded as her eyes fluttered shut, curling her body towards Daisy’s as she fell asleep.

Daisy continued to run her fingers through Jemma’s hair, humming softly until she, too, fell asleep, too tired to dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the last Jemma/Daisy scene is pulled from the end of 5x14, and the implications that scene had. I'm going to go with it.
> 
> I felt like I needed to bring Piper in, and she'll be in more chapters in the future. She has a lot of potential to be a very interesting character, and I want to use that.
> 
> Ward is going to appear at the Lighthouse soon, so be prepared for that.


	3. A Lost Sense of "Normality"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peek into Hale, Ruby and Coulson's lives at the military base. Ward returns, and no one, especially Daisy, is taking it well. (Cue confused Deke and curious Piper).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this story, Coulson doesn't know about Fitz's struggle with what is real and what isn't, or that Daisy has her powers back. He left before then.

Ruby glared at her mother. “What is _he_ doing here?”

The blonde’s arms were crossed across her chest as she looked up at her mother from her spot on her bed. She had been scrolling through posts when her mother barged in, announcing their new guest.

The General was standing in the doorway, arms clasped together in front of her body, guards standing behind her. “He’s here because he’s supposed to be. You know perfectly well that I’m just following my orders, something that _you_ would do well to take head of.”

“He’s SHIELD,” Ruby’s lip curled in disgust. “It’s bad enough we have all the others here, but Coulson? You know his team will be working to get him back. Hell, they might already be on their way here.”

“Watch your tongue young lady,” the general raised an eyebrow. “And everything’s going according to plans. SHEILD has their own problems to worry about, and if our sources are correct, they’ll be expecting some very soon, someone we might be able to get on our side. He was loyal to my superiors at one point, and he very well may join us again.”

“On and on about this ‘Clairvoyant’ and yet no proof he or she actually exists,” Ruby rolled her eyes as she placed one of her earbuds back in.

“Oh, the Clairvoyant is real,” General Hale turned to leave. “She came to us a few months ago, and is the reason we know what we do. Keep an eye on Strucker.”

“Whatever,” Ruby replied as she put her other earbud in, turning up her music all the way up as she watched her mother leave, turning back to her laptop. She was determined to find out something about Quake. She had been promised to meet the Inhuman, and she would do what it took to make it happen.

 

* * *

 

Coulson looked around his small room, taking in the bare walls. The room was empty, save for the bed he was sitting on, one thin blanket and flat pillow resting on it. There was a window on the far wall, high up, and with bars on it.

He knew he had walked into a trap, but he needed to know who General Hale was answering to, who was behind everything.

He knew the team was upset with him for leaving, had seen it in May’s eyes, but he knew they would be okay. The fear dimension had seemed to be affecting Fitz when he left, but the scientist was smart. He could figure out how to put a stop to it.

Daisy was one of the ones he was most worried about, but he was sure that she would be okay. She still hadn’t gotten her powers back, so hopefully she would be more open to going on missions if the situation arose. He trusted her to keep Deke in line, and stay strong.

He would make contact with them when he could, but for now, he needed to find information. He knew the assassin who was behind the loss of Elena’s arms was mostly likely in the building somewhere. Coulson hoped that she was recovering well, but also hoped he could find something that could help her at the military base.

He was pretty confident he knew exactly where he was. Based on the description, it seemed like the base Fitz had been held at. As well, he couldn’t think of anywhere else the General would bring her. Coulson knew that if worse came to worse, Hunter could probably break him out, just like he had done for Fitz.

Sighing, he settled in, ready to start his stay.

 

* * *

 

**Three Days Later…**

Ward boarded the first bus of the morning, taking a seat halfway back so he could keep an eye on the other passengers, muscles tense as he watched a suspicious looking woman board the bus. Her eyes were shifty, as she held her bag closely to her body, as if she was afraid someone would try to steal it. Her blonde hair was tucked into a ski cap, a few strands hanging out, and her dress had a few tears in it.

Nothing happened, though, and she disembarked five stops later, bringing her giant bag and strong perfume with her.

He watched as the street signs changed, letting him know he was getting closer to his destination. More and more people disembarked as they got closer to the end of the line, leaving only him and two others before they pulled into the final station.

He let the mom and her daughter get off the bus first, before grabbing his bag, nodding at the bus driver as he left.

He pulled on a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses as he started down the sidewalk, heading for the center of the small town. It was still light out since he got an early start.

It was three in the afternoon when he popped into a small cafe, paying for a sandwich and a cup of coffee with cash. He crossed the street, sitting on a bench in the small park as he ate, making sure to keep his face hidden.

From his spot, Ward could see the police station, watching a couple officers walk in an out as they got calls.

He had searched through police records, hoping to find something that would connect his old team to a town. He knew that all police stations would be on alert looking for the fugitives, and hoped that something had been reported that could help him.

It was lucky when the day before he found a photo of Skye, taken by security cameras, masquerading as a woman named Sinara Smith, as she tried to bail someone named Deke Shaw out of the prison in River End, New York.

The officers at the station had placed a call to General Hale when Skye had been identified, and tried to hold both her and Deke at the prison. The two had escaped, but Hale had been able to do research on Deke Shaw. She had tried to keep her discoveries confidential, but Ward had found a loophole, and had been able to access her information. Most of her information didn’t interest him, but he found some that did. Deke wasn’t in any system, which meant he technically didn’t exist, but there were two matches with his DNA.

Jemma Simmons and Leopold Fitz.

 

* * *

Ward threw his garbage in the nearest trashcan, leaving the park. He had a destination in mind, had used blueprints of different buildings in the city and maps of the sewer system to figure out where the SHEILD agents might be. He had discovered a hidden system of underground tunnels, something most people wouldn’t have noticed. If it hadn’t been for his many years of training, Ward knew even he wouldn’t have found it. But he knew what he was looking for, knew how SHIELD and how Fury worked.

He slipped down empty alleyways, taking the shortest route possible to the entrance to the tunnels, a single door hidden in plain sight. It was a door no one would think twice about, that was off the street enough that if the team needed to, they could slip out without been spotted immediately.

As Ward neared the location, he, out of habit, began changing his walking pattern, as if he was shaking off a tail. He didn’t want anyone watching him, or anyone to gain information of how to find the team. If he led the authorities to them, it wouldn’t help his case, and as much as he hated to admit it, he needed them.

Once he was sure there were no tails on him, and no cameras had been able to get clear footage of him, he approached the alley that had the door. He stared at it, contemplating his decision, whether it was the right thing to do or not.

Sighing, he slid the pair of sunglasses off his face as he looked around before opening the unassuming door, closing it quietly behind him. Hiking his bag higher up on his shoulder, he began the long walk through the twisting, underground passageways that would lead him to the Lighthouse.

 

* * *

 

As he approached the door, he took in a deep breath, taking comfort in the familiar cool metal of the gun tucked in his waistband. He knew the minute he opened that door that they would know he was there, and that there was no going back.

Keeping the gun tucked in his waistband, hoping if he appeared unarmed they wouldn’t shoot him on sight, he pushed the door open.

No alarm went off, but he could hear footsteps making their way down a hallway, hushed voices growing louder.

Ward set his bag on the ground, resting his hands on the back of his neck as the door to the room he was in was opened, revealing three armed agents.

His lip curled upwards as he heard Skye swear loudly, the action familiar to him from when he had been part of the team, from when she had trusted him. Despite this, he didn’t move as May moved closer, gun aimed at his head. He knew she wouldn’t hesitate to shoot if he made one wrong move.

His eyes widened slightly as he realized who the third person was. Simmons.

Her arms were outstretched, holding a gun that was pointed at him. She wasn’t wearing her usual colorful clothes or her lab coat and goggles, dressed in practical, all black clothing instead. A flash of silver caught his eye, and he noticed the band on her left ring finger. Her hair was pulled back, revealing her face that was void of emotion, save for the anger bubbling in her eyes. She wasn’t faking her knowledge of using a firearm. Ward could tell she knew how to use it, had used it before. If given a reason, she wouldn’t hesitate to use it on him, not after what he had done.

“Nice to see you all again,” Ward quipped as his bag was kicked away from him, coming to a stop near the door.

“How are you here?” May asked as she forced him to the ground, yanking his arm painfully behind his back. She planted one of her boots on his back, digging the heel in.

“Honestly, no idea,” Ward responded, lifting his face off the ground, at eye level with a pair of black boots. “Woke up a few days ago in a hotel in New Jersey, surprised that I was alive. I know I was dead, so I did some research to see what I had missed.”

“Go,” he heard Skye mutter to Simmons. “Make sure everyone is safe.”

Simmons left, and Ward could hear her footsteps hurrying down the hallway.

“Give me one reason I shouldn’t shoot you,” Skye demanded.

“Because I’m telling the truth?” He knew it wasn’t a very good answer, but he had nothing else to say, no other information to offer up.

“Not good enough,” May responded as she nodded at Daisy.

Daisy nodded, before shooting him with a night-night gun, only relaxing after she fired four bullets at him.

May stepped back as Ward’s now limp arm fell to the ground with a satisfying smack, just as Deke and Piper appeared in the doorway, the latter with a gun in her hands.

 

* * *

 

After alerting Deke and Piper to the situation, Jemma hurried down the hallway to the holding room Fitz had locked himself in. She had a limited amount of time until the others would be walking down the same hallway to place Ward in lockup as they figured out how he was back, and how he had managed to find them.

This was a situation she never thought they would be in, even after everything that had happened. She never believed that Grant Ward would be brought back from the dead and into their lives again. Jemma knew she needed to warn Fitz about his soon-to-be neighbor. Her husband had suffered at his hands, and in his current condition, this would not be a good thing to spontaneously spring on him. Normally, she would join the others and help them, but Fitz was currently her priority.

She came to a halt when she noticed him tucked into a corner of the room, head between his legs and hands on the back of his neck, as if he was trying to make himself as small as possible.

Jemma sighed, before gently knocking on the glass, watching as he looked up at her with tired eyes.

“Jemma?” he asked, standing up as he wiped his palms on his pants. “What’s wrong?” He walked to the glass, pressing his palm against it. He could see the worry etched into her face, and wanted to run a thumb across the space between her eyebrows to easy the worry lines. Instead, all he could do was reach to her on the other side of the glass.

She followed suit, smiling as their hands aligned. The smile dropped, though, when she remembered why she was there. “Something happened, something big.”

“Is everyone okay? It it Coulson?”

“May, Daisy, Piper and Deke are all okay, and are seeing to our… guest. Mack and YoYo are safe in the med bay. We haven’t had any news on Coulson yet, but no news is good news. Hale would be gloating if something bad had happened to him.”

“Guest?”

Jemma nodded, hand sliding down the glass. “He arrived ten minutes ago. Daisy emptied a few night-night bullets into him, and she won’t hesitate to use more, but they’re going to be putting him next door soon,” she pointed at the second holding cell. “I needed to be the one to tell you. He’s back.”

“Who’s back?” Fitz asked tentatively, running through names in his mind. “He” could refer to many people they had known and lost, but at the highly negative reaction this situation was causing, especially with Daisy, he was able to rule out most names.

“Ward. Grant Ward.”

 

* * *

 

“This is him?” Piper asked as she helped pick Ward up off the ground. She had heard stories, but he had already come and gone by the time she joined the agency.

Daisy nodded tersely, watching him carefully, ready to shoot again if he stirred. “Piper, meet Grant Ward.”

This was the last thing any of them were expecting, let alone wanted. They were trying to figure out what Hale was up to, where Coulson was, how to help Fitz, and how they were supposed to save the future. They didn’t have time to deal with old enemies back from the dead.

Seeing his face caused old memories to surface, times before space and Hive, before his betrayal. He had simply been her supervising officer, a robot, one she found attractive. One who has wormed his way into her heart, that she let herself hope for. But everything changed when it had been revealed he was part of Hydra. Now, she couldn’t look at him without remembering the time she was shot by Ian Quinn, what he did to the team, how Hive in his body went up into space with Lincoln, to explode.

Her eyes hardened before she shot him one more time, satisfied, before tucking the gun into her waistband so she could open the door for the others.

Daisy ignored the look May gave her, instead choosing to allow the door the knock against Ward’s head.

She led them down the hallway, coming to a stop in front of their second holding cell. Daisy watched the way Fitz and Simmons kept their eyes trained on the unconscious form of Ward as he was carried into the other room. Piper checked over him, being the only agent with training that didn’t have a grudge against him. She found the gun, taking it with her as she left, the door locking securely behind her.

May stalked off, grumbling to herself, heading in the direction of the training room, Piper at her heels.

Deke came to stand next to Daisy, and they both watched the scientists for a minute before walking off in silence. It was only once they were far enough away from the cells that Deke spoke up.

“So who exactly was that? I could tell it wasn’t good, but why?”

Daisy sighed heavily as she sat down on a chair. “That’s Grant Ward. He was a double agent. He was undercover as part of our team years ago, back when I first started, but he was really working for HYDRA. Long story short, he hurt all of us, and killed many people before Coulson killed him.”

“Wait, he’s supposed to be dead?” Deke looked surprised, even though he knew it was possible. He had seen Tess revived, but that was due to Kree technology. He wasn’t sure what was currently available that could resurrect someone.

Daisy nodded. “Hive took control of his body and did a lot more damage before he, too, was killed.” She left out Lincoln, as he was still a sensitive topic. “We all trusted him at one point, and for awhile, it seemed like he was really one of us. But he wasn’t. And now he’s back at the worst fucking possible time ever, and I don’t know how we’re going to handle this, especially with Coulson gone. Just promise me you won’t go anywhere near that bastard. He will twist his words to manipulate you, and we need as many uncompromised people as possible at this base.”

Deke nodded, knowing by the look on the girl’s face that this wasn’t the time or place to make a joke like he usually would. Her eyes were deadly serious, and when she talked about what had happened, her lips had curled into a snarl. He had never seen her look so terrifying, and he had seen exactly what she could do. He knew how powerful she was, and never wanted to be on the receiving end of her anger. If her expression was anything to go on, what she did in his time was simply a warmup. This Ward was in for a lot when he came to.

Deke knew he had gotten the short version of what happened, but based on Daisy, May, Fitz and Simmons reactions, the looks were well deserved.

“I’m going to check on Mack and YoYo, then…” she trailed off, rubbing her forehead. “Just… stay away from him. Otherwise, do whatever, I don’t care. We all need time to process this right now.”

He nodded as he watched her leave, heading in the direction of the med bay.

Making a decision, Deke got up, heading for the computers. He wanted to see if he could uncover anything on their new guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't feel like I really needed to write about the three days in between, as the team is going about their daily routines. Also, after the most recent episode, I may weave in the idea of the Destroyer of Worlds, and how Whitehall wanted that to happen.
> 
> Next update is on Thursday. Ward starts to see how things are now, and Fitz is still recovering. Plus, expect to see some familiar faces return to help the team out.
> 
> (An idea I'm toying with: bringing Lincoln back as well. Thoughts?)
> 
> (Also, I've been writing so much for Spiderman: HOCO that when I see "May" I think of May Parker, not "Melinda May")


	4. Interrogations, Recoveries and Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper interrogates Ward, Fitz is still recovering and Jemma and Daisy bond more. Elena is recovering, and Coulson is still gone. And then Bobbi and Hunter return, and the team gains more hope that they can change the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both "Skye" and "Daisy" are used, though only Ward calls her "Skye." Just to clear that up, in case any one is wondering

Ward’s eyes flew open as he took in his new environment. He groaned as he sat up, palms pressed against the cool surface of the concrete floor. He heard a noise coming from somewhere nearby, but ignored it, choosing to take in the room.

There was a lot of glass so someone could look in, a bed tucked against the side of the wall. Otherwise, it was bare.

Ward could tell his gun was gone, but wasn’t surprised. They wouldn’t want to take any chances with him, and he couldn’t bring himself to blame them.

A knock on the glass caught his attention, and he looked up, expecting to see a familiar face. However, standing on the other side of the glass was an unfamiliar face, a woman who appeared a couple years younger than Skye and Simmons. Her hair was short, and she stood at attention, no expression on her face.

“And you are?” Ward raised an eyebrow.

“The name’s Piper,” she replied coldly, staring at him. “And you’re Grant Ward, former double agent for HYDRA and host of Hive.”

“Right,” Ward mumbled to himself. “They would’ve told you about me. Are you a SHEILD agent?”

“I was, when we weren’t hated by the government,” she humored him, answering his question. “But I’m not here to tell you about my life.” She opened the door, a buzz echoing in the room as she did, making sure to close it firmly behind her.

“You’re the only one they trust around me?”

She glared at him in response.

“Okay, not in the mood to answer questions. I’m guessing they sent you in to get answers? But let me tell you. I don’t know how or why I’m alive.”

Piper was silent as she pulled out a needle, walking over before jabbing it in his arm.

“Warn a guy next time, huh?” He started squirming as a weird feeling settled over him, coming to a rest in his stomach. “What was that?”

“A little something FitzSimmons cooked up. Should be taking full affect in two minutes,” Piper respond as she looked at her watch. She stared at her watch until it read 9:43.

Ward felt a shiver go down his spine, before he felt normal again.

“So tell me, honestly,” Piper settled in as she rested her back against the wall. “What are you doing here? And by here, I don’t mean here on Earth, alive. I mean here, at the base.”

“I thought SHEILD could help me figure out how and why I’m alive,” the words seemed to flow from his mouth before he could stop them. “I know I’ve hurt them all, and I don’t deserve their kindness, but they’re the closest things I have to people I can trust.”

“How did you find us?”

“Police reports and reports from a General Hale. They placed Skye in River End when she went to bust whoever Deke Shaw is out of prison. I knew she could help.”

“Skye?” Piper raised an eyebrow. She knew of Daisy’s name when she first joined the agency, but didn’t know why Ward seemed so determined she was the answer. “What does she mean to you?”

Ward’s face scrunched up as he thought. “She was just an annoying consultant when I first met her. I never meant to hurt her,” his face fell. “But Garrett didn’t tell me he was going to have her shot. She should’ve killed me when she had the chance. She was my weakness, and Garrett knew that. I tried to help her, got past a lie detector when I said I was at the SHIELD base for her. It’s always been her.”

Piper nodded as if she didn’t expect anything different. “She’s not Skye anymore.”

“I know,” Ward hung his head. “But it’s still _her,_ who she is. She’s the reason I’m here.”

Glancing at her watch, Piper noted she only had three minutes left until the truth serum wore off and he wouldn’t freely give her answers. “If HYDRA was still active, would you have gone to them?”

Ward shook his head. “My loyalty was never to the group. My loyalties have always lain with people.”

“Do you regret what you did?”

“Some of it.”

“Do you want a chance to redeem yourself, a chance to be trusted again by everyone here at this base?”

“I don’t deserve it,” he responded confidently. “But yes.”

Piper pushed herself off the wall. “All communications will go through me for the time being. You will have no contact with Daisy especially, and don’t expect to see May, Mack, YoYo or Simmons as more than a passing figure.”

The team had agreed that she would be the one Ward would interact with. She was SHIELD, knew how to hold her ground. Since she hadn’t been on the team or part of the agency when Ward was active, she didn’t have a personal grudge against him. Deke was the only other one on the base that hadn’t known Ward, but he wasn’t trained to be an agent, and they didn’t want to risk him slipping up.

Piper’s mission to figure out how to contact Coulson and break him out if it came to it had been postponed so she could monitor their guest. She took her job seriously, knowing that this could solidify the trust of the others in her. Since she couldn’t follow through on her original mission, they were planning on calling in a couple old friends to help them out.

The only member of the team Ward might have interactions with was Fitz, as he was on the other side of the wall. However, they weren’t worried, knowing that despite the fact that the scientist was still unsure of what was real and what wasn’t, he knew what Ward had done. He wouldn’t give their guest anything he could work with.

Piper slipped out the door, making sure it was secure before leaving Ward alone.

 

* * *

“Are we even allowed to do this?” Daisy asked.

“Well, as SHEILD doesn’t technically exist anymore, it’s not explicitly against the rules. And we need as many people on our side as possible,” May glanced up from the papers she was reading.

“It will be nice to see them again,” Jemma piped up. “It’s been awhile.”

“I’ll put the message through,” Daisy volunteered, reaching for a tablet. “Are any details needed? 

Or am I just telling them we need their help, and where to find us?”

“Tell them it’s a need to know basis, and we’ll fill them in when they get here,” May responded. “They’re some of the only ones on the outside we can trust at the moment. They might be able to help us.”

“Got it,” Daisy nodded as she started typing, sending the coded message through back channels so if it fell into the wrong hands, it couldn’t be traced.

“What about reaching out to Joey?” Jemma asked tentatively. “I know he it’s been awhile, and we promised we wouldn’t ask him to help out unless the fate of the world was at stake, but we’re there. He still has the watch, right? Maybe calling him in as well could benefit us. With YoYo still recovering, it would be helpful to have another Inhuman.”

May was silent as she analyzed the situation. “If we do, again, I think it should be Daisy reaching out to him. He’s more likely to respond if she asks.”

“I’ll do it, but I wouldn’t count on it. He had a chance to get out, to start a normal life. I won’t blame him if he doesn’t want to risk that.”

May nodded. “Well, let’s hope Bobbi and Hunter get our message, then. Until then, let’s hope Piper is successful.”

 

* * *

Fitz was sitting on the bed, running through all recent events in his mind. He was working on separating what had happened, and what had been all in his mind. It had been easy enough, until Ward had arrived. Now, the scientist was trapped in old memories, remembering what it was like when he couldn’t think of simple words.

He hated being so close to other man, but still couldn’t trust himself to roam freely around the base, so he was stuck. He could hear Ward move around, go through sets of sit-ups and push-ups during all of his free time.

Piper was the only one to visit the traitor, something Fitz found to be a smart decision. The rest of them had history with him, and while they might all turn a blind eye if Ward got hurt, he might have information they could use.

Jemma was usually the only one to visit the scientist, the others knowing she was the most likely to get through to him, and the others didn’t want to overwhelm him. She would talk to him softly as she recounted some of her favorite memories they’d shared. She was a calming presence to Fitz, and with her encouragement, he was able to work through the rough moments better than he could on his own.

Her visit that day had ended with her telling him they may be getting three more guests, but this time, all people they could trust. Daisy had sent off a message to Joey, Bobbi and Hunter, hoping they would answer.

It would be nice to see them again, and hopefully Bobbi could help keep Deke in line. Fitz still wasn’t sure how he felt about their time traveling companion, but had to admit, Deke did have some good ideas. His brain just worked differently, as he had come from a different time and environment.

Fitz was smart enough to tell there was something going on with Deke, Daisy and Jemma based of the looks they sent each other, even though he rarely saw them, especially together. However, he knew it wasn’t something to worry about at the moment, and let it go.

Instead, he worked on ignoring Ward’s curious looks, as the glass between the two rooms allowed them to see one another. Thankfully, Ward gave up trying to talk to him after the first few failed attempts.

Fitz knew the other man was wondering why he was in lock up, as Fitz was a trusted member of the team as far as he knew. But Fitz didn’t want to talk about what he had seen, what he had done, especially to someone who had hurt them all as much as Ward had.

Ward would look over whenever Jemma visited, watching the way the two scientists interacted. He could see the affection between them, that was palpable even despite whatever they were working through.

He watched the stress dissolve from Simmons’ face when she visited her husband. And that was a new development, something Ward had put together rather quickly. He was glad they had found something more in each other, but with Fitz spending this much time locked up, Ward was unsure how it would turn out.

Ward had always had a hard time coming to terms with the idea of love. His family life hadn’t been perfect, and then he spent a long time on his own, with only a dog for company. And then he had to kill his companion, and any part that had been in him that wanted validation about love disappeared.

He had been a perfect double agent, and for awhile, he never thought anyone could break through to him. He worked well as a specialist, being on his own. He had never really had anyone to trust or confide in, and that was fine with him. If he didn’t get attached, no one could exploit the “weakness.” It was how he protected himself.

Then he was handpicked for Coulson’s team. He knew what he was supposed to do, and had been able to play the role well.

He knew about Melinda May, but as she was only the pilot at that point in time, he ignored her. The scientists were young, and weren’t interesting enough to warrant his attention, despite how smart they were. He only interacted with Coulson at the start, as Coulson was the one giving the orders, and Ward had to earn his trust.

Then came the Mike Peterson mission, and in its wake, Skye.

At first, the hacker had just been a thorn in his side, and since she wasn’t an agent, he didn’t want her around. She didn’t seem to take things seriously, and even though she was talented, he didn't think she had what it took to truly be an agent. However, she began to prove herself capable, and at May’s quiet insistence, he became her supervising officer.

That’s when a few cracks appeared in his facade, but he ignored them.

But as Skye learned more, worked with the team and got closer to FitzSimmons, warmth began to bloom in his chest for the first time in years.

He was starting to care about his team, something that he couldn’t let happen. Skye had started the process, but the others started breaking through a little as well.

A little voice in his brain that he thought he had locked away told him to come clean, quit working against the people he was coming to trust, and who saw him as at the very least a teammate, and maybe even as a friend.

But he didn’t. The news of his betrayal wasn’t revealed how he hoped it would. He had been alone with Skye, and they had had a moment.

However, when he left her alone, she had grown curious about where Koenig had gone, and had figure it out. She was clever, putting the penny back and leaving a hidden message for the team as she played dumb with him.

He hadn’t known it at the time, what she had done when he had gone looking for her. But she was Skye, and she was good at hiding things, good at tricking him. She tricked him, and he had let her.

Ward hadn’t truly known if she was tricking him or not when they were at the cafe, but he had suspected it. When he found out she _had_ tricked him, his stomach had dropped. She knew who he was, that he was Hydra.

As he stared at the wall of the room he was locked in, he thought about all the times he had to come clean, to leave Hydra behind. But he hadn’t taken them, had gone through with actions that left some of the only people he knew he could learn to care about hating him, hurt because of him.

Sighing, he leaned back, face pointed towards the ceiling as he let his eyes close. He was surprised he hadn’t seen Coulson, but didn't press his luck in asking. Piper was the only one he talked to, and he had to admit, she had the potential to be a wonderful agent. She had told him she had been trained by May, one of the only small pieces of information he got in exchange for his cooperation.

As the hallway lights flickered slightly, he let his breath even out, hoping to grab a few hours of interrupted sleep.

 

* * *

“They’ll be here tomorrow,” Daisy announced. “I got a message from Bobbi, saying she and Hunter are on their way. And Joey said he can’t be here for a few days, but he’ll be here when he can.”

“That’s great news,” Jemma smiled as she bustled about the kitchen. “It will be wonderful to see them again.”

Daisy nodded as she grabbed a piece of toast off the plate her friend offered her, smiling in thanks. “What are you up to today?”

Jemma sighed as she sat down. “I’m still working with YoYo as she adjusts to her new arms. It’s going to take her time, but with her determination, I know she’ll get there. I’ll probably check in on Fitz. It’s hard on him having Ward there.”

Daisy wrinkled her nose at the sound of their guest’s name. “I don’t trust him, at all. What if he’s here because of Hale?”

“I agree. We can’t trust him yet, not until we know more. However, Piper’s information points towards him being truthful. Even he can’t resist the drug Fitz and I created.”

“I know, I know,” Daisy groaned as she rested her forehead on her crossed arms. “I guess it’s more like I don’t _want_ to trust him. Not after what he’s done. I’m just glad Piper’s here so none of us have to talk to him. I try not to even walk in that direction in case I get the urge to knock him out again.”

“It’s probably good you don’t see him, then,” Jemma agreed. “Though I do think he might be willing to tell you more. You know he had a weak spot for you.”

“And I hate it,” Daisy rolled her eyes. “I don’t need someone like him pining after me or whatever. I’m so over him.”

“That’s a good thing,” the scientist gently patted her friend’s shoulder. “But maybe you should try, see if he’ll open up to you more.”

“I’d rather be back in the future,” Daisy snorted. “If it’s our last resort, maybe. But right now, I think Piper’s doing a fine job. Maybe when Bobbi and Hunter get here, I could get Bobbi to team up with me we can have some ‘fun’ asking _him_ some questions.” Her eyes gleamed as she stood up, bringing her empty glass to the sink.

Jemma just shook her head as she sipped on her tea. There was nothing she could do to convince her friend otherwise. “So what are you up to today?”

“Uh, research on Hale, see if I can find out who she’s working for and why she might want Coulson. Hacking cameras and hotel files to see if I can figure out more about how you-know-who is here, and who might know about it. Training with May and Piper later. Feel free to join us. Oh, and helping Deke learn more about the present.”

“Sounds like you have a very busy day ahead of you,” Jemma commented before finishing her tea. “If I have time, I may join you.”

Daisy nodded, turning to leave the room. She hesitated, before pausing, not looking back. “Jemma?”

“Yes?”

“I hope Fitz gets better. I’m not ready to forgive him yet, but I know what it’s like, to have your mind confused. It’s how it was with Hive,” her voice was quiet as she remembered what she had done when under Hive’s influence. She sympathized with the other scientist, but the pain she had experienced and the fact her inhibitor was removed against her will didn’t sit well with her.

“I’ll pass on the message,” Jemma smiled softly.

Daisy nodded, before leaving, making her way to her room.

 

* * *

 

She peered down the hallway, well aware that both men would be asleep. They always were at this time of night, something she knew thanks to the cameras.

Silently making her way down the hallway, Daisy stopped when she reached the two holding rooms. Taking a deep breath, she first looked into Fitz’s room, spotting the scientist curled up tightly on the bed, his back facing her.

He looked so small sleeping there, and an unpleasant feeling blossomed in her stomach. She knew he was hurting, knew he didn’t feel like he couldn’t trust himself.

When she had been freed from Hive, it had taken her awhile to trust herself. Part of her had yearned to be back with him, but for a while after, she didn’t like looking at her hands that had done damage, and she didn’t want to trust herself. Her friends had tried to help her.

She wanted to reach out to Fitz, but she still needed more time to heal, to make sure she wouldn’t do something she’d regret. She knew she needed to be able to trust him when it came to it. They had a future to prevent.

Turning towards the other room, Daisy held her breath, fist clenching as her eyes rested on the figure of Grant Ward for the first time since he had arrived at the Lighthouse a few days ago. She hadn’t wanted to see him, but logically, she knew at one point she’d have to acknowledge him.

She had hoped that if he didn’t notice her and she didn’t have to speak to him, it would be easier.

He looked the same as he did the last time she saw him as _him._ Hive had been more gaunt, paler. His face had been more cruel and he didn’t seem human. But the Grant Ward in front of her looked like he did before he had died. There was the familiar slope of his nose, eyelashes brushing against the tops of his cheeks as he slept. His hair was messy and for once, he looked innocent and vulnerable.

Daisy felt her nails biting into her palm, but ignored the slight sting. She was telling herself she was _allowed_ to be mad at him. He had hurt them all. But the most sympathetic part of her, the part that remembered how she used to feel about him, wanted to reach out and let him know they were listening to what he had to say.

She shoved the feelings down as she watched him sleep for a moment, before turning away. The day had already been busy enough, and she didn’t need all these old memories and feelings surfacing when she had more important things to worry about.

As she walked away, she tried to stay upbeat about the fact she would get to see Bobbi and Hunter the next day, and that maybe with their experiences and fresh eyes, they could find something helpful.

 

* * *

He woke up, unsure at first what had caused it. Sitting up, he could see a figure walking down the hallway, silent except for the one loud footstep that had woken him up.

The figure was alone, as if they didn’t want anyone to know they had been there.

Squinting through the dark, Ward realized he knew who it was.

Skye.

He blinked as he watched her turn a corner, disappearing further into the Lighthouse. It had been the first time he had seen her since she had knocked him out. He wondered what she had been doing, rationalizing that she had probably stopped by to see Fitz.

They were friends. Ward remembered the three younger agents had always gravitated closer to each other. They seemed to understand each other in a way no one else could. He hadn’t seen Skye visit the scientist yet, and he wondered why. The only reason she wouldn’t have checked in on her friend that he thought was logical was that she had been wrapped up in other work. However, that still wasn’t like her, as she tried to make time to check in on her friends when they were injured or recovering.

 _Maybe someone else is worse off,_ Ward thought to himself, going through the names of the team in his mind. He had seen both scientists, Skye, Piper and May, but not Coulson, Elena or Mack. If someone else had been gravely injured, it would make sense that Skye was spending time with them.

 _Or,_ a little voice whispered, _she has something against Fitz._

Ward shoved the thought aside, feeling like it was very unlikely. Instead, he tried to turn his thoughts off, hoping to get a little more sleep.

Laying back down, he let his mind wander to the few good memories he held close.

He was asleep in no time.

 

* * *

“Hey, Jemma,” Daisy yawned as she poured a mug of coffee.

“Good morning, Daisy,” the scientist smiled back. “Have a good night’s sleep?”

Daisy shrugged, not wanting to say anything about her night visit to the two cells. Instead, she turned around to grab an apple. “Could’ve been worse.”

Piper and May walked in, looking for water after training.

“How do you guys get up so early?” Daisy whined. “I mean, I thought seven was early enough! You know how bad I used to be. But you’re already done training?”

“With Bobbi and Hunter arriving today, we decided to get it out of the way so we could fill them in,” Piper explained as she sat on the counter, taking a glass of water from May, “Is that how you’re going to greet them?”

Daisy looked down at her clothing. She was still in her pajamas, and the bun she had put her hair in last night was loose, leaving her hair a mess. “No,” she huffed in response. “I just needed coffee first.”

“I’m with you,” a voice came from the doorway as Mack walked in. “YoYo had me up all night, helping her learn to use her arms.”

“How’s she doing?” Daisy asked. She had always gotten along with the other woman, and the fact that they were both Inhuman connected them in a way no one else there could understand.

“She’s improving,” Mack responded before taking a sip. “You know her. She’s determined. She bugged me about seeing Hunter and Bobbi the minute they get here, and I agreed as long as she agreed to rest until then. Any idea when they’re getting here?”

“Um,” Daisy tapped away on her tablet. “Maybe two hours?”

“Just enough time to take a shower and get a few minutes of shut eye. Let me know when they get here and I’ll get Elena.”

“Sounds good,” Daisy nodded at him.

The group split up, each of them having things to accomplish before their friends arrived. Piper and May both went to hit the showers, since they had finished training. Daisy and Mack stayed in the kitchen, sipping on their coffee and eating muffins. Deke was probably still asleep, and Jemma decided to spend her time reading.

Once Daisy and Mack finished eating, they cleaned up before going their own ways. Mack turned right to head to the showers, and Daisy went left, wanting to check in on YoYo. 

When she arrived, she saw YoYo working on using her new arms.

“Knock knock,” Daisy made herself known from the hallway. “How are you doing?”

Elena turned to look at her. “These arms are hard to get used to, but I’m getting there.”

“I’m glad to see you up and about. I know this was hard on you.”

“I knew I would get past this,” Elena shrugged. “I saw myself at the Lighthouse. Of course it wasn’t great to see what was going to happen, or experiencing it, but I survived. I want to get back on my feet. I can’t stay here much longer. I want to help.”

“I understand that. But don’t hurt yourself trying to get better too fast.”

“Oh, don’t worry. Mack won’t let me,” Elena rolled her eyes. “I swear, that man…”

“He’s doing it because he cares,” Daisy reminded her. “I know he’s stubborn, but that’s what we like about him, huh? He’s good to have on our side. And to think, the first time you met him it was because you kidnapped him.”

Elena cracked a smile. “I never thought it would turn out this way.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to ‘rest’ until Bobbi and Hunter get here,” Daisy grinned. “Yes, I know of your compromise with Mack, and no, I won’t tell him you weren’t resting. Just make sure you look like you’ve been resting when he gets here in about an hour.”

“I will,” Elena nodded as Daisy headed towards the door. “Thank you.”

Daisy smiled sincerely before leaving. She understood that though Elena appreciated all of them helping her, and that Mack was trying to make sure she was okay, that she needed to get back on her feet. She was a fighter, not someone who just stood by. That was why Daisy hadn’t forced her to get back into bed. 

She knew Elena could hold her own.

 

* * *

 

Jemma and Daisy were standing side by side in front of the door, May behind them, when Bobbi and Hunter arrived, another woman behind them.

At the sight of the unfamiliar woman, Daisy had her gun out, in her hand, in case she needed to use it. She didn’t raise it, however, knowing that Bobbi and Hunter were trustworthy, and they had brought her for a reason.

When May greeted the other woman, however, Daisy put the gun away. She trusted the older agent’s judgement.

Bobbi and Hunter greeted Daisy, Jemma and May, before turning to introduce the woman who came with them.

“Guys, this is Hayden McCarthy. She used to be a SHIELD agent,” Bobbi gestured at the woman, who stepped forward when she was introduced. “We ran into her on our way here. She’s here to help.”

She was about the same height as Bobbi, but looked like she was a few years younger. Her auburn hair was pulled back off her face, revealing her brown eyes. The bridge of her nose was scattered with freckles. She stood tall, radiating confidence. She stuck out her hand, and both Jemma and Daisy shook it as they introduced themselves.

“So you’re the famous Simmons and Johnson,” Hayden raised an eyebrow. “I’ve heard about you two. Where’s your other half?” she looked at Simmons.

Jemma’s face fell slightly. “He’s here, but he, uh…”

“He’s working through some personal things,” Daisy stepped in. “He’s getting better, but he’s still recovering.”

Bobbi and Hunter exchanged a look at that, since they had known Fitz personally.

“So you guys finally got married?” Bobbi asked noticing the wedding ring on Jemma’s finger. “It’s about time.”

Simmons nodded. “Actually, we got married not very long ago. When we got back, it seemed like it was the right time.”

“Yo, who are these people?”

Daisy turned to see Deke walking in, looking at their new guests. “Deke, these are our friends, Bobbi Morse,” the woman nodded in greeting, “and Lance Hunter. And their friend, Hayden McCarthy. They’re here to help. Guys, this is Deke. He’s uh, from the future.”

“You’re from the future?” Hunter looked curious. “That’s cool.”

“The concept, maybe. But not the actual future I’m from,” Deke responded.

“Hey guys,” Piper walked in the room with Mack and Elena. “We’re here to join the party.”

“How many of you guys are there?” Hayden looked amused.

“There’s only two more,” Piper responded. “Fitz, as I’m guessing you’ve been told about. And uh, another guest,” she left out Ward’s name after the look she got from Daisy and May. “But they won’t be joining us.”

“Daisy, Bobbi, Hunter. Can I talk to you guys?” May nodded towards the hallway, walking out with the others behind her.

“What is it?” Bobbi crossed her arms across her chest.

“It’s about our other guest. You’re not going to like it,” May warned.

“Who is it?” Hunter asked.

“Grant Ward,” Daisy rolled her eyes. “We don’t know how or why he’s back, but he is.”

“What are you planning to do about him?” Bobbi questioned. “What does Coulson think about this? I mean, he killed Ward himself.”

“Coulson’s not here. He’s with General Hale, trying to find out information that might help us,” May filled them in. “It’s a trap, but he insisted. He’s at the military base where Fitz was held.”

Bobbi and Hunter exchanged a look before the former posed a question. “Then who—?”

May anticipated the question. “I have the seniority, but Daisy,” she pointed, “was the one Coulson left in charge.”

“Well then, Daisy,” Bobbi smiled. “We’ll be happy to help you.”

 

* * *

 

Bobbi and Hunter stood on either side of Daisy as the stared into Ward’s room, watching as he continued his set of pushups. He hadn’t seen them yet.

Rolling her eyes, Bobbi grabbed on of her batons and knocked the end of it against the glass, getting Ward’s attention.

He startled, eyes widening when he saw them.

“Are we actually going in?” Hunter looked appalled as Bobbi headed for the door.

“I think we should let him know how we feel about him being here. Don’t you think so, _Director_ Daisy?” she teased.

Rolling her eyes, Daisy walked over to where Bobbi was. “Fine. I told myself I wouldn’t talk to him, but if you two are here, it might be fun.” She opened the door and the three walked in.

“You’re looking well for a dead man,” Hunter pointed out as he leaned against the wall.

“Wow, thanks. I feel flattered. You going to buy me a drink?” Ward deadpanned.

“Can you just be quiet for a minute?” Daisy glared. “In case you forgot, you’re the one locked up. We aren’t.”

Ward help up his hands in a placating gesture. “Wow, Skye. Looks like Melinda May was a good S.O for you.”

“Don’t call me that,” was all she responded with. “Be glad these two are here, or you’d see exactly what I could do to you.” She sent out a small blast with her powers to remind him that she had power over him at the moment.

“We’ll keep her in line… Unless you give us a reason not to,” Bobbi casually tossed one of her batons between her hands, making sure Ward understood what she meant. She was a force to be reckoned with, and the man knew it. He also knew Hunter also had a few tricks up his sleeve.

“So, Coulson’s letting you interrogate me?”

“Actually, Coulson’s not calling the shots right now. He doesn’t even know you’re back. He’s working on a… different lead,” Daisy walked closer to him.

“Then who’s in charge?”

“She is,” Bobbi nodded at Daisy. “Coulson left Daisy in charge.”

“That’s right,” Daisy agreed. “So you better be on your best behavior.”

Daisy knew she was powerful and she could easily hurt Ward. She had enough negative feelings about him to warrant action. But she knew it wouldn’t be a good move, so she stuck with verbal warnings. There was no way she would let him off the hook easily after what he had done, and she wanted him to know that.

“Whatever you say, _Skye,_ ” Ward smirked. “I’ll do whatever you want me to.”

Rolling her eyes, Daisy headed for the door, Hunter and Bobbi behind her. “Tell it to Piper,” was all she said before leaving, making a show of locking the door behind her.

“He’s just as charming as ever,” Hunter remarked as they headed for the common room where they’d be meeting up with everyone else, save for Fitz and Elena. The Inhuman had gone to visit the scientist, and had been there when the trio left Ward’s room. They had waved at them, but left them to their conversation.

“I’m just glad Piper’s been dealing with him,” Daisy admitted. “I don’t think the rest of us would be very good at it at the moment.”

“We can have Hayden help her out,” Bobbi suggested. “And Hunter and I will help you guys with whatever you need.”

“Thanks,” Daisy smiled. “It’s nice to have you guys back.”

“It’s nice to be back,” Bobbi grinned back. “I missed being out in the field.”

“Then let’s get you guys filled in so we can get to work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter. In the next one, we'll see more of Coulson, Ruby and Hale, and another Daisy/Ward interaction.
> 
> I'm going to try and stay on my updating schedule, but since I have a lot of papers and projects to complete, I may only post one chapter a week for the next month. We'll see!


	5. Second Chances and Hidden Projects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson finds out about Whitehall's plan, Fitz gets better, Joey returns, and Daisy starts mending her friendship with Fitz. As well, she gives Ward a chance to prove himself.

_“Ruby is a perfect fit. Her physical biometrics were optimized for particle infusion,” Hale explained calmly._

_“I'm sensing a ‘but,’” Coulson pointed out._

_"She's not ready. I'm not sure she has the temperament. I'm wondering if your Daisy Johnson is a better fit. You've made her into quite the formidable soldier.”_

_“‘Made’ is not the term I would use.”_

_“Well, as far as her heart is concerned, I hear she sacrificed her own boyfriend for the greater good. Those decisions are not easily made.”_

_“Now wait a minute—”_

_“Look, she's powerful, she's intelligent, she's calculating. If the Confederacy needs gravitonium, Daisy Johnson is the one to deliver it.”_

_“By infusing her with gravitonium?”_

_“Yes. She would have the power to level alien armies, blow their ships apart. She would be worthy of Whitehall's code name for the project: ’Destroyer of Worlds.’ Obviously, the guy was overcompensating for something, but—”_

_“No. No, stop. This is a huge mistake. A broken-planet-sized mistake. Listen, my team wasn't hiding all these months. We traveled to the future. We saw the aftermath of that program.”_

_“You traveled to the future?”_

_“And back. I saw the Earth cracked apart, but not because of the Confederacy or that alien ship.”_

_“It was because of my actions.”_

_“Exactly. Call off the search. Do not let anyone enter that chamber.”_

 

* * *

 

Coulson was still reeling from the information he had just found out. Hale was Hydra, and Ruby had been engineered to become the “Destroyer of Worlds,” the next head of Hydra. But he knew she would never take the title, as it was Daisy known as the “Destroyer of Worlds” in the future. The man knew he had to find a way to keep Hale from getting anyone, especially Daisy, into the chamber.

 

Whitehall, of all people, had been the one to start this. He was the one who handpicked Hale to mother the next head of Hydra due to her strength and resolve, the one who created the chamber and the plan to create a “Destroyer of Worlds.”

He should’ve died long ago, but he had found Jiaying, transplanted her blood and organs into himself.

Coulson himself had been the one to finally kill Whitehall, something that had been a long time coming. But obviously it hadn’t come soon enough, as Whitehall had already set his plans into motion.

Coulson knew he had to get out of the base and back to his team. He wouldn’t doubt that they would be able to find out some things about Hale, possibly that she was Hydra, but Whitehall’s project likely wouldn’t be in their database, or at the very least, not something they’d be looking for.

He had to warn them.

The fate of the world was at stake.

 

* * *

 

Ruby crossed her arms as she gazed around the room, chewing her gum. She looked unimpressed as her vision scanned over Creel, Strucker and Ivanov.

The three men were training under the watchful eyes of her mother’s guards. There was always at least two guards around each man at all times, since General Hale didn’t want any trouble.

Ruby was the only one who had any sense of freedom, as Coulson, too, had a guard on him at all times. Though Ruby wasn’t allowed off the base, and was often required to check in with her mother, she didn’t need guards to go train or eat.

She sighed, annoyed, as she watched Ivanov and Strucker being taken down easily by Creel, falling to the ground with groans.

“Like you can do any better,” Ivanov sneered at her when he noticed her.

Smirking, Ruby crossed the room. They hadn’t seen her fight, yet, and now was the perfect opportunity to show them what she could do. Spitting her gum out, she gestured for Ivanov to get up.

Ivanov grinned at the prospect of beating the blonde, not thinking through that Ruby had been trained by Hydra and that her mother was General Hale. She would have had good training, but the thought slipped his mind.

Ruby let him think he was winning for a couple minutes, knowing that the cockier he got, the harder he would go down.

When he let his guard down, she struck, bringing her knee up into his abdomen as she locked an arm around his neck, flipping him over. She pinned him on the ground, barely out of breath as she looked triumphantly down at him. “Don’t underestimate me again,” she replied, voice sickeningly sweet.

She let him go, leaving the room without another word.

 

* * *

 

“They tell you about him?” Piper asked, arms crossed as she peered in the glass to where Ward was doing sit-ups.

“Oh, trust me. I know about him and what he did,” Hayden responded as she analyzed the man. “I knew him, though not as well as everyone else here. He died a few months after I joined the agency. I fought against him, once.”

“I joined after he died. May was my S.O, and I lived alongside this team for a little.”

“I’ve been undercover for years. Sent off before SHIELD became enemies. I knew Bobbi, and through her, Hunter. May, too. Once it wasn’t safe to identify as an agent, I stayed with my cover. When I ran into Bobbi, and she told me that there was still an active team, I wanted in.”

“You sound like Elena,” Piper smiled. “She hates sitting by when there’s a fight going on.”

“Sounds like she’s a great person to have on your side.”

“They all are,” Piper shrugged. “They work together well as a team. Fitz, Simmons, May, Coulson and Daisy have been together for years, when Ward was still undercover. Daisy was still Skye, and didn’t know about her parents, and Fitz and Simmons were simply friends. I mean, May was their _pilot._ She didn’t do active work during their first few missions. But after everything they’ve been through…”

“I’ve heard stories. Bobbi and Hunter were with them for awhile. Mack, too. Elena is the newest, isn’t she?”

Piper nodded. “Yeah, she is. But she’s good. They’ve lost teammates over the years, but they’ve found a great team in each other. The trust is there, even when there are personal conflicts between team members. Did you have a team, before?”

Hayden nodded. “I did, but those of us left are scattered across the world, trying to evade capture. Many would be ready to fight along SHIELD if called on.”

The two women stepped away from the window, making their way back towards the common room, discussing their most recent question session with Ward.

Though most of the team was hesitant at best, Ward had been telling them the truth. He wasn’t working for Hale, he wasn’t Hydra anymore. He didn’t know how or why he was alive, and he wanted to try and earn the team’s trust back.

Technically, Daisy would have the final say in if Ward would be allowed out of the room or not. Though, the others would need to be convinced first. Daisy would be more likely to agree, no matter how hesitantly, if the others agreed.

It had been slightly over a week since Ward had arrived and Coulson had left. Bobbi, Hunter and Hayden had learned to integrate into the team’s current dynamics.

Hunter spent a fair amount of time with Deke, explaining current technology and nature that Deke had never experienced. The two got along well.

Bobbi spent time catching up with Daisy and Jemma, though sometimes May would join them. Hayden worked alongside Piper interrogating Ward, and getting to know the base. Mack and Elena had been joining everyone else more recently, Elena up on her feet and doing more than just resting.

Fitz was doing better. Jemma and Elena especially had been helping him, and though he knew the dark side was still in him and he would have to learn to live with it, the hallucinations were gone. It had been a big improvement, and now that his mind was more stable, it seemed that Fitz would be able to rejoin them in the Lighthouse.

Except for the fact that Coulson was still gone, things seemed to be getting better.

 

* * *

 

Daisy had been sent to check on Ward, see if he was stable enough for the option of him spending time out of his cell to be considered. She didn’t want to, but she knew that since Coulson left her in charge, she was able to have the final say. If she thought he couldn’t be trusted, the rest would trust her judgement.

“Skye,” Ward greeted her from his spot on the floor. “It’s good to see you again.”

She rolled her eyes at the sound of her old name. She didn’t go by it anymore, but that’s what he had known her as. She stood with her back against the door, glancing next door to see Jemma and Fitz talking quietly to each other.

“To what do I owe this visit?” Ward asked as he stood up, looking at her. He still towered over her, but it didn’t intimidate Daisy anymore.

“I’ve been sent to check you over, see if you could be deemed stable or not. Piper and Hayden believe you’re telling the truth, and some others are starting to believe. But it’s up to me.”

“And you don’t want me out and about, do you?” Ward guessed.

“Huh, I guess you _can_ be right, sometimes,” she retorted. “I think you know that I don’t trust you, but I promised the others I would at least try and deal with you. I’m not armed, but I can still do some damage if it comes to it. So, prove to me you’re trustworthy, and you can slowly start seeing others and spend time out of here. Otherwise, this will be your home for a long time.”

“How am I supposed to prove it to you?”

“I’ll leave that up to you,” she responded as she leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. “Surprise me.”

“Fitz and Simmons are great scientists, and no one could resist a truth serum that they created,” Ward shrugged. “Both Piper and Hayden have heard what I’ve had to say. If you trust them, you should believe me. But I get it if you don’t. I know what I’ve done, and I know some of what Hive did.”

Daisy studied him, not saying anything as she scanned his face, looking for anything that may indicate he was lying. He just looked calmly back as she did. She sighed, dropping her arms. Glancing out of the corner of her eye to where Fitz and Simmons were, she rushed out of the room without an explanation when she noticed that Jemma was looking a little queasy.

When she got to the other room, Fitz was worriedly rubbing Jemma’s back, talking to her in a soothing voice.

“Fitz, help me get her to her room,” Daisy ordered, her priority being to help her friend. “She’ll be okay, trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

He nodded, helping Daisy get Jemma off her feet, and together, they managed to get her down the hallway and to her room.

Daisy took charge of the situation, bringing Jemma to the bathroom. “Fitz, find a change of clothes for her, and then go make a cup of tea for her.”

He nodded, as he, too, was more concerned about Jemma than anything else at that moment. He returned about ten minutes later, to find that Daisy and Jemma were sitting in bed, his wife in a new set of clothes.

“Are you okay, Jemma?” Fitz asked worriedly as he sat on the other side of her, handing her the cup of tea.

She smiled weakly. “I’m fine, Leo. I promise.”

The two girls exchanged a look, and after wiping Jemma’s forehead with a cool washcloth, Daisy made to leave the room. “I’ll leave you two to your conversation.”

As she shut the door behind her, she heard the scientists’ hushed voices. Daisy knew that Jemma was dealing with morning sickness, and it seemed like she had finally decided to tell Fitz what was happening. Whether she would tell him about Deke or not, Daisy didn’t know. But that’s not what was important at the moment.

Making her way quickly back to the room she had left, she noticed that in her haste, she had left the door to Ward’s room open. She was surprised to find him still there, pacing back and forth.

When he noticed her, he looked up, a look of worry on his face. “Is Simmons okay?”

Daisy was taken aback, surprised to see the actual concern that he had. She hadn’t seen what Piper and Hayden had seen and heard, but now, she was playing with the idea that maybe Ward had changed.

Jemma was her best friend, and to see Ward worried about her took a slight edge off her anger at him. As well, he had stayed in his room, even though he had the opportunity to leave.

“She’ll be fine. It’s nothing to be concerned about. We just needed to get her comfortable,” Daisy responded.

Once Ward was sure that the positive look on Daisy’s face was real, he relaxed. “Good. That’s… good.”

“You were _actually_ concerned,” Daisy pointed out her observation.

Ward nodded once, not saying anything.

“Okay, I’m going to go. Bobbi and I have stuff to go over. But, uh… I’ll have Piper stop by later.”

He watched her go in silence.

 

* * *

It felt familiar as they all gathered around the door, waiting for it to open to reveal another of their allies.

It had been agreed that Elena and Daisy would be in the front, as Joey knew them the best. They had been on a team together, after all, when they had fought against the Watchdogs. Behind the two Inhumans, Piper, Hayden and May stood besides each other, Jemma, Mack and Deke off to the side.

Glancing at the time, Piper calculated that their next guest should be arriving in about five minutes. She had been filled in a little about Joey, and his powers, as well as his time working alongside the team. They hadn’t seen him in awhile, since he had had the chance to leave this life behind and live a relatively normal life.

Now, though, with the fate of the world at stake, he was being called back in, just like Bobbi, Hunter, and Hayden had been.

“Bienvenido,” Elena smiled as Joey walked through the door.

“Ah, hola Elena,” he responded, setting his bag on the ground to walk over to her. It was easy for the two of them to fall into their native language, as when they had first met, it was the only way they had been able to communicate.

After greeting Elena and Daisy, Joey turned to the rest of the group. Most people he recognized, but there were a few people he didn’t know. He was introduced to Hayden and Deke, before they led him to their common room, stopping to show him his room on the way.

Joey was careful to avoid metal, as he didn’t want to accidentally melt something that was important, but it seemed that the rest of the team wasn’t worried.

He and Elena were chatting away in Spanish as she filled him in on all he had missed, and he did his best to remember all the information he was given.

Though he enjoyed his “normal” life, it was nice to be back with the team again, with people who understood what it was like to have powers, what it was like to want to use their skills for good.

His boyfriend had understood when Joey told him he needed to go help his old friends out for a little, knowing that the Inhuman wanted to help keep others safe.

So there he was, with some of the only SHIELD agents left in their hidden base, ready to help prevent a future that they had seen.

He never thought his life would go this way.

 

* * *

 

“That’s it!” Daisy exclaimed from her spot in front of the computer. “Hale is Hydra.”

Everyone in the room looked up from their task at that statement.

“So if Hale is Hydra, her daughter must be, too,” May looked up at the screen that Daisy had up, scanning over the information. “Look at the information about Hale’s education, and the birth of her daughter.”

Typing in a few commands, Daisy pulled up a new screen. “Whitehall. He had something to do with this,” she read off the screen. “Something about a project he wanted to set into motion. It doesn’t say any more here, but now that I know kind of what to look for, maybe I can find some more information. If Hale is Hydra, and she’s taking orders from someone else, we have to assume that either there’s more of Hydra out there than we thought, or that someone else is in charge.”

“Get on it,” May turned to look at the others in the room. “And we need to get on trying to get Coulson out of there. We can’t leave him with Hydra.”

 

* * *

 

“It’s great to see you up and about again,” Mack greeted Fitz. 

After nearly two weeks of staying locked up, Fitz, with the help of Jemma, had decided he would slowly starting integrating himself back into the team and their daily routines in the Lighthouse. He still didn’t spend all his time out of lock up, but it was still an improvement. It had started helping Jemma with her morning sickness, though no one besides both of them and Daisy knew, and now, he would eat meals with them and sometimes spend time catching up with them.

It had been easy enough for him to get back into the swing of things with Bobbi and Hunter, and he was able to get to know Piper and Hayden better without too many problems. As well, catching up with Joey went smoothly.

However, he knew what he had done to Daisy and Mack, what he could’ve done to Elena. It made it harder for him to look them in the eyes, but Mack especially wouldn’t let Fitz retreat into himself.

He was making amends with most of the team, but he and Daisy had yet to have a one on one talk. There was always someone else in the room, and Fitz knew it had to be a personal conversation. He and Daisy had been close, especially since their mission on the train, when she had been shot by Quinn.

Now, though she didn’t seem to be against him being out of lockup, she wasn’t comfortable being alone with him.

Fitz hated it. He hated the dark parts of him, but was coming to accept the fact that they were there, and that they were part of him. He was hoping that if he could reconcile his friendship with Daisy, she might be able to help him learn to control it. He knew if anyone could help, it would be her.

She did seem to be warming up to him again, though. She knew it was hard on him having Ward around, even though their distrust in him was slowly lessening.

It was because of this that she had decided it would be best to allow Fitz a few days to readjust to life in the Lighthouse _without_ Ward around before allowing their guest a chance to step foot out of his cell. After seeing how he had cared about Jemma, she had reluctantly decided she would give him a chance, but with conditions.

He couldn’t leave the base, and couldn’t be out of his “room” alone. He had a tracking bracelet similar to the one she had had long ago, that only she would be able to take off once she felt he was trustworthy enough.

Ward had readily agreed. He had a few more days in lockup to ensure Fitz was readjusted enough, before he would be able to step foot into the base.

Piper and Hayden had volunteered to be the ones who watched Ward on the base, unless they were both busy, in which another member of the team would keep an eye on him.

Daisy hoped she wouldn’t regret it.

 

* * *

 

She stayed in her room when it was time for Hayden and Piper to let Ward out of lockup. She didn’t want to see him walking about, relatively free. Not yet.

Instead, Daisy sat on her bed, running her fingers over the gloves she was still wearing. When the team had noticed, she had given them a short, clipped answer, before going back to work, and had completely ignored Ward’s questioning look. She had only taken them off once, when she had gone with Bobbi to interrogate Ward the first time the blonde had returned.

Sighing, Daisy stood up, walking over to the mirror. She stared at herself, gently brushing a finger over the scar behind her ear from where her inhibitor had been removed.

“I’m sorry,” a voice caught her off guard.

Turning around, Daisy noticed Fitz standing in the open doorway, watching her with heavy eyes.

“I didn’t want it to happen like that. I won’t lie. I don't regret what I did, just how I did it. We needed your powers to help with the gravitonium. You were the only one able to help. But, Daisy, I can’t even look at my hands without remembering. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“But you did. You removed my inhibitor without my permission. I’ve felt pain many times. But this? It was the worst. Not only did you cut into my neck and pull out the inhibitor, but the fact that someone I thought I could trust not to hurt me, did? _That_ was the worst part. And even after what you did, I still sympathized with you because I know what it’s like,” she cried out, pacing around her room. “How do you think _I_ feel looking at my hands, knowing what my future is going to be? How did you think I felt when I first got my powers and knew how much damage I could cause?”

“I know,” he replied softly. “I know. You’re the only one who can truly understand. Daisy, I want to make things right. But I also need help, and I know you’re the best person for the job. I know that I have dark corners, and I’m learning to accept that they’re part of me, and that I can’t get rid of them. We all have dark spots, but you’re the one who understands what it’s like to not like looking at the mirror, having your mind messed with, not liking looking at your hands. The others would want to help, but they can’t, not like you can. Daisy, you’re one of my best friends. I don’t want to loose that.”

“I don’t want that, either,” she admitted. “But it will take time. It won’t happen overnight. But yeah, we can work on it.”

“You don’t have to wear them, at least while we’re here,” Fitz pointed to her gloves. “Nothing happens here.”

“It’s a safety precaution,” Daisy defended. “I need to relearn how to live and fight without my powers. I need to remind myself that I was an agent before this. That I can live without them. After finding out what I did… I don’t want these powers anymore.”

By this point, she had collapsed on her bed, looking up at the ceiling as she talked. Fitz hesitated, before sitting down next to her.

“Your powers didn’t make you an agent. It was your determination that did. There were so many things that could’ve shaken you from the path, but you kept on going. Yeah, maybe you were kind of forced into the Mike Peterson mission. But you had chances to leave. You stayed, and helped us out with your hacking skills. Your powers only added to what you add. They didn’t make you an agent. If you really don’t want to use them anymore, Jemma and I will back your choice. When it comes down to it, we only want what’s best for you.”

“Thank you, Fitz,” Daisy murmured as she turned glanced at him.

He smiled at her as they settled in for awhile, both wanting to avoid running into Ward just yet.

 

* * *

“Skye,” Ward tried, reaching a hand out, but letting it falter when he she turned around to look at him.

“It’s Daisy,” she glared at him as she sipped from her mug of coffee, resting her back against the counters she wrapped her other arm around her waist. Since both Hayden and Piper were busy at the moment, she was stuck watching Ward, something she wasn’t happy about. It made it worse that he was trying to use the time to talk to her.

“Right, Daisy,” Ward nodded his head. “Can we talk?”

“Talk? You want to talk? After everything that _you_ did, that Hive did in your body?” she set her mug down on the counter as she took a step towards him. “How about this: I don’t forgive you, as you’ve given me no reason to. You betrayed us, hurt all of us, and now you’ve waltzed back in? Don’t think for a second _any_ of us will let you off the hook easily.”

She knew what Hive had done hadn’t been his fault, but it still hurt, reliving those memories, seeing someone, some _thing_ , that looked like Ward doing all those terrible things. It still left a bitter taste in her mouth when she remembered Lincoln’s final sacrifice, especially when she remembered the last conversation she ever had with him.

Ward let her yell at him, knowing he deserved it. He had done a lot of horrible things to the people that were supposed to be his team. He dropped Fitz and Simmons to the bottom of the ocean, even though he had believed that to be a better option than putting a bullet in each of their brains. He had killed and manipulated, and part of him still believed Skye—no, _Daisy_ — should’ve let Deathlock kill him.

It was his third day in the Lighthouse, and he had been able to figure out where each member of the team stood now. Fitz and Simmons were married now, but Fitz had had trouble with his mind, telling what was real and what wasn’t, struggling with the dark parts of who he was. The reason that he had locked himself up was to keep himself from hurting anyone again, like he had done to Daisy when he removed her inhibitor.

Ward knew Daisy had trusted Fitz, had been the closest to him and Simmons since the start. The Inhuman saw them as siblings, but what Fitz had done to her shook her to her core, scared her, even though she knew Fitz had thought it had been someone called the Doctor, that set the plan in motion. Ward didn’t know much about the inhibitor, or how Daisy had gotten it, but knew the aftermath. But he also knew that they were getting better, having talked the day he stepped out of his cell.

Daisy had a scar on her neck, and her hands went up to feel it occasionally. Said hands were covered in gloves that went halfway up her arms. The others seemed to know what the gloves were, but she wouldn’t tell him.

Coulson was dying, something that they were all trying to find a cure to, find something that would at least slow the process. Currently, though, he was off base, and the team was working to contact him.

May appeared the same as she had always been, but Ward had heard about some of the things that had happened to her. She wasn’t the woman he had once known.

Mack also seemed fine, but he was struggling with things internally, spending most of his time with Elena. Something had happened to him, something involving what the team was calling the Framework, but after their most recent trip, the Framework experience had been pushed to the side for all of them.

The other Inhuman was being monitored by Simmons as she recovered from having her arms cut off by one of General Hale’s assassins. She had robotic arms now, and had vastly improved her skills with them. She was a fighter.

Joey was back now, and he fit in easily with Elena and Daisy, the three bonded through their experience being Inhumans, and the fact that they had been a team. It had been a team of four, and now, three were reunited.

Deke was the wild card to Ward, and to everyone, even though they knew him better. He was from a future that the team was trying to prevent, and on top of that, he was the grandson of Fitz and Simmons. Daisy had known first, and had kept the secret.

It was confusing to the team when Daisy, Jemma and Deke would sneak off, locking the door to one of their rooms behind them to talk. That had lasted for the past two weeks, only slowing down when Fitz finally felt like he could slowly start integrating himself back into the group a few hours at a time.

Because of his previous research, Ward knew how Deke was connected to the two scientists, but had figured out that only the trio knew. Even Fitz hadn’t been told yet. However, Ward had overheard a conversation between the new trio about how they were going to break the news to Fitz, and then the rest of the team.

There was something else that Jemma had mentioned to Daisy, something that Fitz knew as well, but the rest of the team didn’t. They were also planning to break the news about that at the same time they told everyone else about Deke.

However, everyone seemed more concerned about the fact that Hale was Hydra. Now that they knew that, Daisy especially watched him with a more careful eye, as if making sure that he wasn’t going to turn around and work for Hydra again.

He couldn’t fault her, not really. He had turned on them before for Hydra.

“I know none of you will let me earn your trust back easily, and I won’t hold that against you. But I want to tell you my side of the story, tell you why I did what I did.”

“I can’t, not now,” Daisy shook her head. “It hurts to look at you. The last time… you were Hive and—” her breath caught in her throat as she remembered the last time she saw Lincoln. “I just… can’t.” She grabbed her mug, looking relieved when Hayden walked into the room. With a final look back, she left the room, leaving Ward in Hayden’s care.

He watched her go, but didn’t go after her. Their interaction had been an improvement, as though short and angry, the conversation had been honest.

He would take what he could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt that we need a little Fitz/Daisy reconciliation. To me, that needed to happen before Daisy could start working on trusting Ward again.
> 
> Let me know if there's anything you want to see in this story (characters, scenes, prompts). I want to expand certain characters, as there are some that are easier to write for me than others. However, I don't want to forget characters.
> 
> Now that it's coming down to the last few weeks of the school year, I'm going to need to focus on my schoolwork, so I may not be updating as often. It might only be once a week now, instead of twice. After school is over, hopefully I'll be able to go back to updating twice a week.
> 
> Until next time!


	6. Breakouts and Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team breaks Coulson out, Piper gets injured, and Fitz finds something out.

Bobbi peered through the binoculars, watching as the guards switched shifts, leaving a section of the wall unguarded. “Two hours,” she reported, not turning away.

“Which means there’s a three minute window you guys can sneak in,” Daisy’s voice came through their coms. “You know the layout?”

“Haven’t forgotten it,” Hunter responded from his place besides Bobbi.

“Okay, you guys will need to be quick. Getting in and breaking out once was lucky. They’ll be more prepared now,” Daisy warned. “You have to be ready the next time they switch.”

“We’re good on this end,” Bobbi promised. “Just be ready on your end.”

They were breaking Coulson out of the military base. Bobbi and Hunter were on the ground team with Piper, Hayden and Joey waiting nearby as backup. They had decided it would be best that those who weren’t on the FBI’s Most Wanted list would be the best to send in. Hale wanted the team, but they hoped she was unaware of those who had come back to help.

Daisy, Fitz and May were on coms, talking the team through the mission. They hadn’t all worked together as a team before, so it was essential they had people that could help them. Also, Daisy had been able to hack her way into the base’s security systems without being noticed. She was going to try and trick the guards into moving to the other side of the base while Coulson, Bobbi and Hunter made their escape.

Meanwhile, Jemma and Elena were prepping the med bay in case someone was seriously wounded, and Deke and Mack were keeping their eyes on Ward.

Bobbi and Hunter were parked in a van close enough to the base to watch the switching of the guards, but far enough that they wouldn’t easily be spotted. They hoped that if someone did see them, they could pretend they were a couple who had pulled over to have a moment. It had worked for them before.

Bobbi had her batons ready, as well as having a gun tucked into her waistband. Hunter was armed with two guns and extra rounds of bullets in case it came to it. They were tense, ready to move the minute the guards started to switch shifts.

Two minutes before the switch, Hunter slowly opened the door, ready to bolt the second he had to.

“Go,” May’s voice came through as Hunter and Bobbi began running to the wall. They crept along, backs pressed to the wall until they came to a gate. As Bobbi began to pick it, Hunter stood guard.

Daisy had looped the camera feed so it looked like no one was there. However, she couldn’t buy them more time, so she hoped they were successful.

“We’re in,” Bobbi whispered as she and Hunter ducked behind a building to hide from the new guards.

“Piper, Hayden, Joey. You guys in position?” Fitz asked.

Piper glanced over at her partners. Hayden was laying on top of a nearby roof, ready to take out anyone if needed. She was a well trained sniper, which was coming in handy. Joey was sitting in the park across the street, sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose as he read a book. And Piper herself was placed in a car, looking as if she had fallen asleep waiting to pick someone up. The base was pretty isolated from the rest of society, but there were enough houses close enough that they didn’t look out of place, except for Hayden.

“We’re good,” she responded.

“Bobbi, Hunter. You have about ten minutes before they discover you guys. I can’t buy you much more than that,” Daisy glanced at the screens in front of her. “They have good security. I’ll be kicked out of the system by then.”

Bobbi nodded as she glanced at Hunter. Each of them pulled out a gun as they started for the barracks where Coulson was. They made it to the door without any problems, but now the real trouble began.

There were four armed guards standing outside the door.

“Did you bring a night night gun?” Bobbi hissed. 

Hunter grabbed on of the guns he had brought, handing it her. He watched as she took aim, firing off four quick shots, each guard falling heavily to the ground.

“They heard that,” May relayed. “They’re heading your way.”

“How many?” Bobbi asked as she and Hunter entered the building.

“There are five in the hallways, five almost there,” Daisy checked the cameras. “And you have seven minutes.”

“We can handle it,” Hunter assured the team. He and Bobbi quickly and carefully found the hallway that Coulson’s room was in, but came to a halt when they spotted the five guards now standing outside the door. “Or maybe not,” he mumbled as they heard footsteps grow louder. They were now boxed in, five guards on each side.

Almost instantly, Bobbi had her batons out and was speeding down the hallway towards the five guards near the door. As she engaged them, Hunter pulled his guns out, firing at the other guards.

He winced as a bullet grazed his shoulder but ducked into a doorway to buy him a moment. He ignored his team’s voices in his ear.

“Ten more headed their way,” Hayden warned. “I’ve got them, on your signal.” She adjusted the sightline, making sure they never left her sight.

“Do it,” May gave the green light.

Taking aim, Hayden pulled the trigger, watching as the guards went down, one by one. As soon as she took them out, she pulled out her binoculars, scanning the rest of the compound.

“Joey, go. They’re going to need you,” Daisy instructed him. “Head for the gates. They’re distracted right now, trying to find out what’s going on.”

Joey didn’t hesitate, leaving the book on the bench as he headed towards the gate. Hiding in the bushes, he stuck his hand out, wrapping it around one of the metal bars, melting it. He snuck in, making it twenty feet before he was spotted.

“Hey!” a guard called out, aiming their gun at him. “Stop right there!”

Joey raised his hands, showing them he was unarmed. However, he continued to take steps backwards.

“Alright, buddy. I warned you,” the guard called out, before firing their gun.

Joey just watched the bullets fly through the air, stopping moments before hitting him, melting in midair. 

The guard looked startled, and called out to the other guards nearby. Taking the opportunity, Joey turned and ran, heading for the barracks. He stepped over the bodies of the guards who were laying unconscious on the porch, heading towards where he heard voices. He paused once to grab a gun, holding it out in front of him.

He found Bobbi and Hunter both engaged in battle, back to back. Hunter’s shoulder was bleeding and his arm was bruised while Bobbi was bleeding from a cut on her forehead, moving with a slight limp. There were still four guards circling them.

Joey used the element of surprise to their benefits, taking two guards out before he was spotted. Taking a chance, he slid across the ground, reaching up to wrap his hand around the barrel of the gun of one of the two remaining guards, melting it. Now, with only one armed guard on them, Bobbi and Hunter moved in, taking him out with no trouble.

Joey opened the door to the room, watching as Coulson stood up, surprised to see his rescuers.

“We’ve come to save you.”

 

* * *

The minute the alarm went off, Hale was making her way back to the base. She had had a meeting thirty minutes away, trusting her guards to keep everyone put.

She needed to keep Coulson on base, and she knew full well his team had come to rescue him. Her guards had been briefed on each member of the team, knowing their skills and weaknesses. Since Hale knew that Daisy currently didn’t have use of her powers, it would be easier for her guards to defeat the SHIELD team.

Ruby, Strucker and Ivanov would be on lockdown in their rooms. Coulson would have guards, teasing the team into thinking they could save him.

However, the one thing she didn’t anticipate was that it wouldn’t be Simmons, Fitz, Daisy, May, Elena or Mack saving Coulson.

Using her tablet, she was able to watch the battle using the cameras. She watched a two person team sneak into the base. They managed to get into the barracks without much trouble. Then they encountered the guards, and were nearly defeated when another man appeared out of nowhere, melting a gun and taking out two guards. Another Inhuman.

Ten of her soldiers had been taken out by a sniper she had never seen before, and she was nearly screaming in frustration as a woman jumped out of a car, brandishing a gun as she moved in, easily getting onto the base through the melted gate.

She watched as the two person team and the Inhuman lead Coulson out of the barracks. The three men each had at least one gun, the first man with two. The woman had two metal batons in her hands, twirling them with ease.

Hale watched them make their way to freedom, and in a last ditch attempt to keep Coulson from escaping, she typed in commands to let Ruby out.

As the driver sped up, Hale watched her daughter confidently make her way out of the barracks, holding her vibranium blade. The intruders were too preoccupied to notice her arrival.

Hale was sure that Ruby could stop them, knowing that vibranium was the most powerful metal. After all, Captain America’s shield had been made from the rare metal.

However, Hale underestimated her enemies. As the two person team led Coulson off the base, flanked by the sniper, the woman who had been in the car and the Inhuman turned around, weapons aimed at Ruby.

Ruby looked unfazed as she took them in. Faster than lightning, her blade went flying through the air like a frisbee, headed straight for the woman. It had just made contact, making a deep gash in the woman’s arm when it fell to the ground, completely melted by the Inhuman.

Hale watched as the woman crumpled to the ground, caught by the man. He picked her up and fled quickly, leaving a shocked Ruby alone, staring at the remnants of her blades.

Frustrated, Hale slammed the tablet on the seat next to her. The vibranium it took to make Ruby’s weapon was most of what they had. They had just enough to make a smaller version, but if the new Inhuman could melt it, there wasn’t a point in using it in a battle he was a part of.

Hydra’s Clairvoyant was not the most reliable, and now, after not knowing about this new Inhuman and the others who broke in, she was beginning to doubt.

She’d have to have a talk with her superiors.

 

* * *

 

Jemma was already ready and waiting when the team returned. Joey rushed Piper in, as her injury had been the most severe. The others had more minor injuries, and were patching themselves up with the help of some of those who had stayed at the base.

Meanwhile, Coulson was talking with May and Daisy, exchanging information.

“It was Hale’s daughter,” Joey explained as he helped Jemma. “She had this ring shaped blade. I managed to melt it, but wasn’t fast enough to stop it before it hit Piper.”

“You did wonderful,” Jemma responded as she grabbed gauze. “That blade is dangerous. That’s how Elena lost her arms. She kept it from killing Mack, but she sacrificed her limbs. I’m surprised you were able to melt it. It’s made out of vibranium, the most powerful and rare metal known to humankind. I don’t know how they got their hands on it, but they did.”

Joey nodded as he grabbed what Jemma told him to, watching the others out of the corner of his eye. Hayden and Bobbi were helping each other, while Ward had stepped up, volunteering to get the bullet out of Hunter’s shoulder.

Turning back around, Joey watched Jemma inject Piper with something, before going to work, the gloves on her hands already covered in blood. She worked with purpose, doing scans and examinations before stitching the gash back up.

She sighed when she was done, pulling the gloves off her hands before disposing them.

“Will she be okay?” Joey asked as he moved the tray of medical instruments out of the way. The others paused what they were doing on the other side of the med bay, ready to hear Jemma’s verdict.

Pulling her mask off, Jemma nodded. “She should be okay, but I am concerned that there may have been some nerve damage. I can’t be sure until she wakes up and is healed enough that I can get accurate test results. But just like Elena, Piper is a fighter.”

“And she has us,” Hayden reminded them. “If YoYo got back on her feet, so can Piper. We’re agents. We can’t be defeated this easily.”

“We’re a team,” Bobbi smiled.

“And a bloody good one,” Hunter agreed. “We’ll get through this, and we’ll save the future.”

Hayden pushed herself off the counter, making her way towards the door. Before she left, she stuck her head back in the room, looking at all her teammates. 

“If anyone can, we can.”

 

* * *

 

“Hale is Hydra.”

“We know,” May responded as Daisy nodded. “We want to hear more about what you found out, but we have something important to tell you first.”

Daisy blurted it out, like ripping off a bandaid. “Ward is back. And he’s here.”

“How is this possible?” Coulson asked.

“We don’t know,” May responded. “He’s been here for nearly two weeks, and Piper and Hayden questioned him. They had a chance to use FitzSimmons’ truth serum, and it worked. He’s _not_ Hydra, and he isn’t working for Hale.”

“He’s proved himself trustworthy _enough_ that he’s been given a chance to step out of his cell. But we’re taking precautions. Someone must be with him at all times, and he has a tracking bracelet, much like the one I had way back when. And since I was the one you left in charge, it’s set to only be removed on my command. He won’t be able to earn our trust back quickly—”

“But he could prove to be a valuable asset,” May finished. “There was no trace of Ward in the future. So we’re considering another chronicom. Maybe he’s supposed to help us. It could be a difference that could save the future.”

“We’re taking this seriously, and we’re making sure to monitor his every move. Piper and Hayden are his handlers, since they don’t have a personal grudge against him.”

“That was a good move. Daisy, I want you to stay in charge of what happens with him. Even though I know you have personal grudges against him, I trust your judgement. I’ll talk with him later, but right now, we need to focus on Hale. Did you find anything else on her?”

“Whitehall has something to do with it,” Daisy responded to Coulson’s question. “That’s all we know.”

“Whitehall handpicked Hale for an assignment. To be the mother of the next head of Hydra, someone perfectly engineered to be a part of a project he was working on.”

“Ruby,” May supplied.

“Yes. Whitehall created a chamber intended to recreate the super soldier by making the most powerful man on Earth. Whoever entered the chamber would be infused with gravitonium. He intended it to be Ruby. Hale is currently working with a group that calls itself the Confederacy. They’re an intergalactic group. Hale is planning on going behind their back by using this project. It was put on hold when Whitehall died, but she brought it back. And the code name of this project? Destroyer of Worlds.”

 

* * *

 

Piper woke up in what had been Elena’s old room. The first thing she saw was Jemma bustling around, recording something on the clipboard she had with her.

Upon noticing Piper waking up, Jemma made her way over to the bed. “How are you feeling?”

Piper scrunched her nose as she felt the gauze wrapped around her arm. “How’s my arm, doc?”

“I want to do a few more tests, as I’m worried about nerve damage. You were lucky that it wasn’t any worse.”

“Remind me to thank Joey,” Piper responded as she sat up. “Everyone else all good?”

“Their injuries weren’t too bad. The worst was Hunter with a bullet in his arm. But he’s all patched up now. It’s only been a few hours,” Jemma anticipated Piper’s next question. “Everyone else is with Coulson. Hayden and Joey said they’d stop by later, fill you in. I’ll leave you to rest, and I’ll come by later to do some more tests. I just wanted to be here when you woke up.”

“Thank you, Jemma,” Piper thanked, smiling.

“Of course,” Jemma nodded as she set the clipboard down, pulling her jacket off before she left. “I’ll let the others know you’re up.”

 

* * *

Daisy sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. She was laying on her bed, having retreated to her room after the briefing was over.

“Daisy?” Fitz asked quietly from his place next to her. “You okay?”

“Now I know how I become the Destroyer of Worlds. There has to be a reason I did it. I wish I knew why. Did I do it willingly? Was I forced?”

“I don’t know,” Fitz admitted. “But know that we know, we can prepare for it. It isn’t your powers alone that creates the future. Daisy, you don’t have to be afraid of what you can do. It’s the chamber that dooms the future. If you don’t go in, you can’t destroy the world. And I know you want to remember what it was like before your powers,” he stopped her from talking. “I’ll support your choice. But you don’t have to give them up for good.”

Daisy held her hands up so she could see them, taking in the black fabric wrapped around them. “I can’t help the fear, Fitz. I mean, I know now there’s a way to prevent it. But what if it’s worse if Ruby goes in? What if me becoming the Destroyer of Worlds is the better option?”

“We can’t know for sure. But if we work together, as a team, I hope we can change things. Yes, I’m not happy that Ward is here. However, he could be a key to saving the world. We have to consider the option. And we have Hunter, Bobbi, Hayden, Joey and Piper on our side. We’re not alone in this.”

Daisy smiled hesitantly. “I guess you’re right.”

“You guess?” Fitz raised an eyebrow. “I think I _am_ right.”

Daisy laughed, turning to look at him. “Thank you, for being here. I know things are still… there, but we all need to trust each other. Things will never be exactly the same, but I know we’ll stick together as long as we live.”

“That’s what a team is all about.”

 

* * *

 

Jemma walked down the hallway, peeking into rooms as she went. She was looking for her best friend and husband, wanting to talk to them. They had disappeared after the briefing while she had gone back to do a few more tests with Piper.

She looked into Daisy’s room, spotting both people she was looking for on the bed, talking quietly. Jemma gently knocked on the door. “Am I interrupting anything?”

They looked over at the sound of her voice. “Nah, come in,” Daisy responded as she sat up. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk to you two. About,” she paused, glancing out in the hallway before entering the room, closing the door behind her. “ _Our_ future,” she gestured between herself and Fitz. “You are the only ones who know.”

Fitz sat up straighter, moving over to make room for her. “What about it, exactly?” he asked hesitantly.

Jemma sat down, grabbing her husband’s hand with her own. She ran her fingers across his ring. “When do you think we should tell the others? This isn’t something we can hide forever. I know May and Ward for sure are getting suspicious, and based on the looks Bobbi’s been giving me, I think she is, too.”

“Yeah, she’s been trying to get me to spill about a couple things,” Daisy hinted, referring not just to the future member of their team, but also about Deke. “Of course I haven’t told her anything, though. But this seems like something you two should be talking about. I can go, if you want.”

“First of all, I won’t kick you out of your room. Second, you’re my best friend, Daisy. Yes, this is mostly between us,” Jemma glanced at Fitz. “But I trust you and your judgement. I want you to be a big part of our daughter’s life. She could use someone like you in her life.”

“A mess?” Daisy snorted as she sat up. “I didn’t have the best life.”

“Someone strong, and loyal and smart. You’re a good person, Daisy,” Jemma reassured her friend.

“Wait,” Fitz held up a hand. “Daughter? Do you know something I don’t?”

“Um…” Jemma looked over at her friend nervously.

Daisy responded with her own look, encouraging Jemma to come clean.

“So you _both_ know something. Care to fill me in?” Fitz requested.

Jemma sighed, squeezing Daisy’s hand as the Inhuman steadied her friend. “In the future, we have a grandson. And his mom is our daughter.”

“How did you find out?”

“Because,” Jemma hesitated. “He told me. He pieced it together. He heard me saying something to Elena that his mother said to him. She always said her mother was who she heard it from. And then, your knife. The number carved into it. He has it, and though it is much older, it’s the same one. The piece of the obelisk I have. It’s the piece that was passed down to him through his mother.”

“Hold on…” Fitz began to put it together. “You don’t mean…”

“Yes, I do. Deke is our grandson.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like it was time for Coulson to make his return, and for Fitz to find out about Deke. 
> 
> Again, if there's anything you want to see, feel free to leave a comment. I have the general outline planned out, but I still need details.
> 
> If things go as planned, we'll see more of Ward in the next chapter getting reacquainted with the team, and the rest of the team finding out about Deke.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at the Lighthouse, the team is working on what their next step will be, while also balancing their personal lives. But when Ward gets captured by Hydra, they know everything could change.

Fitz had been pacing around the room for the past five minutes, mumbling to himself. Jemma and Daisy watched him anxiously.

“How long have you known?” he asked.

“A couple weeks,” Jemma admitted. “But I didn’t want to tell you when you needed to focus on recovering. I didn’t want you to think it wasn’t real. I needed you to believe me. No one else besides us, and Deke, know.”

Fitz sighed heavily as he collapsed in a chair. He ran his hand through his hair. “How can _he_ be related to us?”

“Well, you two have a daughter, and she gets married and—” Daisy grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

“Oh, I know how that works, thank you very much,” Fitz retorted. His gaze lingered on Jemma, taking her in. He knew her better than he knew himself, after all their years working alongside each other. They had met at the Academy, and had been something of rivals before. They were both the youngest students there, and were both at the top of their class. Fitz had stayed to himself, as other students would glare at him for taking the top spot. Jemma had had a few friends, but she too, stuck to herself, sending most of her free time in the library.

They had started talking when paired together for a project. It had started out rough, both trying to outsmart the other. However, late one night when they were doing a dry run on the top of the parking deck, something changed. Fitz still wasn’t sure what exactly it was, but it ended with him and Jemma having a deep conversation as they looked up at the stars. The next thing he knew, she was his best friend, and instead of competing, they helped each other. He fell for her easily, but hid it for a while, happy to call her his closest friend.

Their time with the team had been full of ups and downs, and it seemed that while they still worked well alongside each other when it came to science, that’s all they’d be. Lab partners. Fitz still couldn’t believe that they were now married, and that they’d live long enough to raise a daughter.

He was slightly upset at her from keeping this information from him, but he understood her logic. She knew him better than he knew himself, and if she thought it was for the best, she was probably right.

He got up from the chair, sitting down next to Jemma. He took her left hand in his, running his finger over the wedding band. It was an anchor to him, knowing that they could work through anything, that they would come back to each other.

“I still feel like I should’ve known before now, but I understand why you didn’t tell me,” he began. “Can we promise no more secrets? We’re in this together, Jemma.”

Jemma nodded as she squeezed his hand. “Of course.”

 

* * *

 

Hayden and Piper were in the kitchen, eating lunch as they kept an eye on Ward. The two women were talking quietly to each other as Ward skimmed through a newspaper that Joey had slipped out to get.

“How’s your arm?” Hayden asked.

Piper shrugged. “I mean, it’s still there. It probably won’t ever be the same, but with Jemma and Elena’s help, it’s getting better.”

“Well, you’ve got me, if you need any more help,” Hayden smiled before taking a sip of her water.

“Quit flirting, you two,” Bobbi rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen. She headed towards the coffee maker, refilling her mug. “We have training in thirty minutes. Joey’ll be here to switch shifts in twenty.”

“You guys keep talking about me as if I’m not here,” Ward didn’t look up as he flipped the page.

Bobbie glared at him. “Yeah, well. When we can trust you again, maybe we’ll stop. Until then…” She stalked off, not wanting to talk to him. She herself didn’t have a big grudge against him, at least compared to most of the team. However, she knew what he had done, and he had hurt her friends.

“I guess I deserved that.” Ward folded the newspaper up, setting it on the table.

Hayden shrugged. “You did do some awful things, I won’t deny it. And even though I won’t forget your actions, you haven’t lied to us about your intentions. FitzSimmons created a foolproof truth serum, so I have to believe what you’ve been saying.”

Piper glanced between the two, sifting through memories and stories she had been told as she did. “Daisy told me about your real concern for Jemma. That was what made her decided to let you out. Jemma is her best friend. And yeah, Daisy still needs time, but I think you might be able to earn the team’s trust back. Like Hayden said. I know what you’ve done, and I won’t be able to forget that. But it seems like you really want to make a change.”

Ward looked up at them, surprised. “I’m shocked to hear you say that. I didn’t think anyone would believe me this quickly. I was prepared to spend months earning back even one person’s trust.”

“Yeah, well,” Hayden stood up, clearing both her and Piper’s dishes. “I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt this time. Don’t make me regret it.”

“I won’t.”

 

* * *

 

“Is that all you’ve got?” Elena raised her eyebrow as she got into a defensive pose. She was staring Joey down, who was in a similar pose a few feet away from her.

His eyes gleamed as he analyzed the room, looking for something to help him. He hadn’t trained in awhile, since he left SHIELD. Now, he was facing off with another Inhuman, working to get back into shape.

Elena had been cleared for training only a few days prior, and she had taken to challenging anyone who came near her. Due to her recovery, she wasn’t up to her usual standards, but she was determined.

In the time it took Joey to blink, she had him pinned to the ground. When she trained with him or Daisy, powers weren’t off limits. They trusted each other, and could push each other to limits no one else could. Despite this, Daisy was still reluctant to use her powers, but encouraged Elena to.

May and Bobbi kept Elena on her toes when powers were off limits, wanting her to be able to fight without relying on her powers.

Concentrating, Joey used his powers to shift Elena’s hands off of him. Now that she had robotic hands, he could control the metal to his advantage. He was careful, though, as he didn’t want to accidentally melt them.

“There you go,” Elena responded as she watched him get up. She had been with SHIELD longer than he had, and knew what they were up against. She encouraged him to find even the smallest things that could help him, whether it be a ring, or a necklace that someone was wearing. The two of them worked well together, and as they both spoke fluent Spanish, they found themselves spending more time together. It was comforting to have someone that spoke their native language, and that understood their culture better. With the fate of the world in their hands, it was nice to have a reminder of easier times.

The three Inhumans were working on rebuilding their team. They all got along well, but needed to learn to work alongside each other again. Despite everything that had changed, it was nice to have their team, even if it was only three of them.

 

* * *

 

Bobbi sat down next to Hunter, waiting for Mack to arrive.

Mack had promised he’d fill them in more on the future, and what they had experienced. Hunter and Bobbi had received some information during a general debriefing, but now that they were all working as one team again, they had the right to know all the details. Hunter knew slightly more, as he had been the one to bust Fitz out, but there was still a lot to learn.

Mack walked into the room two minutes later, taking a seat across from his two teammates. “Got any questions?” He decided the best course of action was to tell them what they wanted to know.

“Deke. How much do we know about him?” Bobbi asked.

“He’s, uh, a complicated one,” Mack responded. “He butts heads with all of us pretty often, and while we were trying to return, there were times where we were unsure if we could trust him. However, he pulled through in the end. Daisy and Fitz butt heads with him the most, but they’re adjusting.”

“The future,” Hunter started, voice serious. “Was it really that bad?”

Mack nodded. “The Kree knew how the keep power over humans. The things we saw there were not pretty. We all want nothing more than to keep it from getting that bad.”

“So this Destroyer of Worlds. Do we have any idea why Daisy entered the chamber?” Bobbi questioned. “She had to have had a reason, or she was forced.”

Mack shook his head. “We have no idea. But everyone in the future knows her as that. They know her as the one who ended life as we know it.”

“That must be hard for her to live with,” Hunter commented. “That’s why she’s wearing the gloves, yes?”

Mack nodded. “A design of Jemma’s. More advanced than the last pair. I haven’t talked with Daisy much about it, but she’s reluctant to use her powers. When were in the future, she wanted us to leave her behind. She thought it would be the best way to prevent the future we saw. Of course, Coulson wouldn’t have that. None of us would.”

It was silent for a moment, as the three thought about what it would be like if Daisy had gotten her way.

“And the fear dimension?” Hunter was the one to break the silence.

“Yeah, that was not fun,” Mack sighed. “Deke’s fear worked out for us in the end. Gave us a great location for the wedding. But the rest were bad. I’m glad Fitz figured out a way to close it, even if he went about it the wrong way.”

“Daisy’s scar,” Bobbi nodded. “It’s hard to miss.”

“Fitz is still broken up about it. He never wanted to hurt her, but his mind was confused. He thought it was the fear dimension. They’re getting better, but it’s hard to miss when Daisy runs her fingers across it. She tries to hide it, but we all know it’s there.”

Another beat of silence, before the elephant in the room was brought up.

“So, Ward.” Hunter glanced between the two.

“Yeah,” Mack looked uneasy. “Look, he has to be back for a reason, but I’m still not on board with him being honest. I know the truth serum is effective, but I can’t forget what he did. I helped Fitz after the… accident. It was a long road, and he’s still on it. But if it saves the future, I guess I have to leave the option open that he is telling the truth, and that he’s on our side this time.”

 

* * *

 

“They have the right to know!” May exclaimed, frustrated. “We are supposed to be a team.”

“And they will. Just not now. We have bigger priorities to worry about,” Coulson responded as he turned to look at her.

“Oh, like you dying isn’t important? Bobbi, Hunter, Joey, Hayden and Piper are our team. They should know if one of their own is dying. If you won’t tell them, I will,” her tone made it clear there were to be no arguments.

Coulson knew not to argue with May when she was like this. It would get him nowhere. “Give them a little more time. The pressure of changing the future is enough. If it makes you happy, I’ll have Fitz and Simmons see if there’s anything that can help. They have more resources now, so they might be able to something. Deal?”

May stared at him, gaze hard. “Fine,” she replied. “But I’m helping them.” She stalked out of the room before Coulson could get another word in.

When the door closed behind her, Coulson turned towards the mirror and pulled down the collar of his shirt, taking in the discolored skin. He ran his fingers across it, before turning away, making sure it was completely covered up. He didn’t want to think about the inevitable, at least not when the fate of the world was at stake.

 

* * *

 

Piper was back in the medical bay with Jemma and Elena, finishing up her physical therapy for her arm. She had daily appointments with the two, Jemma since she was their doctor, and Elena since she knew what it was like to recover from a similar, albeit more severe, injury.

The damage to the nerves in Piper’s arms made it hard for her to straighten her arm and fingers, and the tingling and numbness made it hard for her to train or wield a gun. However, like YoYo, she was a fighter, and she was determined to get back in the field as quickly as possible.

“Hey, Piper,” Hayden greeted from the doorway. She was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. “How’d it go today?”

Piper shrugged as Jemma resplinted her arm. “Same old, same old.”

“She’s making progress,” Jemma piped up. “But it will take more time.”

Piper slid off the counter once the splint was back on, secured tightly to keep her arm from jostling too much. “We still on for that movie?” Piper aimed her question at Hayden.

“Yup,” Hayden nodded. “Let’s go.”

They made their way to common room, passing some of their teammates on the way there. There was no one else in the common room, and while Hayden ducked into the neighboring kitchen to grab snacks, Piper flipped through movie options.

By the time Hayden returned, Piper was curled up at one end of the couch, and the menu for _Wonder Woman_ was on the screen.

Hayden grinned as she saw the screen, sitting down as she handed Piper a bowl of popcorn. “You have a good taste in movies. I knew we’d get along.”

Piper smiled back as she pressed play, and the settled back as the movie started.

By the time Diana was infiltrating the gala, the two had shifted closer to each other, the popcorn bowl resting on Piper’s right leg and Hayden’s left leg. They hadn’t noticed, and when Hayden went to move her leg that had fallen asleep, she accidentally kicked Piper.

“Sorry about—” Hayden turned to look at Piper, coming almost nose to nose with her. Her voice trailed off as she stared.

“It’s fine,” Piper whispered back, a small smile on her face.

Hayden blinked in response, the movie forgotten by both of them.

Piper raised one of her eyebrows in a silent challenge, getting a raised eyebrow from Hayden in response.

After a beat of silence, they closed the small distanced between them, their lips coming together in a gentle kiss.

“I knew it!” a voice interrupted them a minute later.

They separated, but didn’t move apart, spotting Bobbi walking into the room, a smug smirk on her face. She plopped down on the table in front of them, pushing a loose strand of blonde hair away from her face.

“I was wondering how long it would take. I mean, I know you, Hayden. I know when you like someone. And with the amount of time you two have been spending together, as you’re Ward’s handlers.”

Hayden rolled her eyes at her friend, but she was smiling all the same. “Yeah, yeah, whatever, _Barbara_.”

Bobbi glared at her, though the corner of her mouth was curled upwards, standing up. “Well, I guess I’m not wanted here. I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” She grabbed the bowl of popcorn, tossing a few pieces in her mouth. She closed the door behind her, and Hayden and Piper listened to her footsteps echo through the hallway.

They glanced at each other, before coming together again.

 

* * *

 

Hayden, Joey and Ward had been sent out to gather supplies the following day, as they were running low on a few things.

Daisy hadn’t wanted to let Ward off the base, as she didn’t want him to use the opportunity to escape and turn on them. However, no one would be looking for him, as he was supposed to be dead. As well, Hayden wasn’t a known SHIELD agent anymore, and anyone who had known Joey would think he was back home. Deke and Piper hadn’t been allowed to go, as the former was still getting used to the new time period, and Piper was still recovering.

Hayden was leading the run, and with her skills and Joey’s powers, Daisy had hesitantly allowed Ward to go with them. They stayed on coms, just in case, but they were all hoping it would be a quick and uneventful trip.

But of course, with their luck, it wasn’t.

Somehow, Hale had found out the three would be in the neighboring town, where they had gone to throw anyone off if spotted.

However, they knew neither Hayden or Joey, or any of the rest of the team for that matter, would’ve leaked their location. And Ward had no way to contact anyone unless he went through Hayden, Piper and Daisy first.

Coulson speculated that it was Hydra’s new Clairvoyant, a fact he had picked up from his time with Hale.

The team waited with baited breaths as they heard Hayden, Joey and Ward engage the guards sent after them, listening to the sounds of fists hitting flesh and gunshots.

“Son of a—” was the last thing they heard Hayden mutter before everything went silent.

Daisy immediately went into action, fingers flying across the keyboard as she tried to figure out if she could hack into the nearby cameras.

The screens flickered to life two minutes later, revealing five guards knocked out on the ground, both Hayden and Joey laying a in the nearby alley, bleeding from the gashes on their forehead. A silver canister lay on the pavement, a small stream of gas leaking out of it.

“That must’ve knocked them out,” Jemma murmured.

A small movement at the edge of one of the screens had Daisy pulling up another camera, and the team watched as Hale stood off to the side, watching three guards handcuff an unconscious Ward. They loaded him into a car with no plates, not bothering to stop when Ward’s head banged against the ground and the edge of the car.

The car sped off, and even though Daisy tried to follow it using cameras, it was to no avail.

“They just wanted Ward,” Elena pointed out. “Hale just left Joey and Hayden there, unconscious when she had the chance to do worse.”

“If I had a guess,” May spoke up, “Hale knew Ward was back, and is hoping he’ll side with her. He _was_ once Hydra. And she left them because she wants us to fear that he will turn on us. She knows they'll tell us what happened.”

“We have to hope he doesn’t give our plans or location away,” Piper stared at the screen, breathing a sigh of relief as Joey stirred. Once he was on his feet, he made his way over to Hayden, shaking her awake. “At least they’re okay.”

“We have to do something, right?” Deke asked from his spot towards the back. He uncrossed his arms as he moved closer to the group. “We can’t let them find out what we’re doing.”

Fitz nodded in agreement, though his face was grim. “We have to save him.”

 

* * *

 

Ward groaned as he woke up. He tried to sit up, but his hands were cuffed to the bed frame. Sighing, he took in the room. He was laying on a small bed in the middle of the room, only a thin blanket and flat pillow as bedding. A small window was at the corner of the room, and the walls were painted a bland gray.

Calling on his previous training, he managed to get out of the cuffs. He cautiously crept over to the open door, peering around the doorframe. When he didn’t see anyone, he made his way down the long hallway, taking mental notes on the place.

Pausing in front of a door he had nearly walked past, Ward turned, noticing the small buffet laid out. He entered the room, eyes scanning his surroundings. He couldn’t be sure if the food was safe to eat or not, but he grabbed an apple anyways.

Just as he turned to leave, a blonde girl walked in, a blank stare on her face, and earbuds in, music loud enough that he could hear it.

She walked past as if she hadn’t seen him, pausing in front of the food laden table.

Shrugging, Ward made his way out the room, tossing the apple from hand to hand. He had bigger things to worry about than wondering who the girl was. He hadn’t been allowed to know all the information Coulson had told the team, but he did know that the girl he had just seen was somehow involved. 

He knew he had been captured in hopes he would tell whoever took him about what the SHIELD team was up to, or where they were.

However he responded to these people would decide his fate. He could spill the secrets and stay relatively safe with them, proving to his former teammates that he hadn’t changed. Or he could risk being tortured to get answers and stay loyal to the SHIELD team.

He had a choice to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I've missed two updates. I'm really busy with school right now. But I wanted to get this chapter posted. I have the next few planned out, but I won't have the normal two times a week updating schedule again until school is over. But, that's only in two and a half weeks. Until then, I'll post when I can.


	8. Decisions and Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team puts together a plan to save Ward, and they learn something new. Meanwhile, Ward is dealing with being kidnapped and Hydra's methods on gaining information. And who exactly is this Clairvoyant?

It had been two days and since none of Hale’s guards had come even close to the Lighthouse, the team had to accept the fact that Ward hadn’t spilled anything.

They were working on figuring out how to break him out, but as they had already done it twice, once by Hunter to get Fitz out, and once to free Coulson, they had to find a new angle. No member of their team was a secret anymore, so they knew Hale would be prepared.

“Daisy, we might need you,” May looked at her. “You don’t have to use your powers, but you’re a good fighter,” she cut her off. “And Elena. It might be time for you to go back into the field.”

Elena looked pleased, throwing a smirk towards Mack. “See, they think I’m ready.”

“You are,” Jemma backed May up. “You have learned to use the arms, and based on your file, you are back up to strength. Perhaps Joey should go as well. His powers may come in handy, and if something happens with Elena’s arms, he can help.”

“We will have to go over all the systems, though,” Fitz moved closer. “I want to make sure there will be no glitches.” They didn’t have all the materials needed to make them as advanced as Coulson’s hand, and Fitz wanted to prevent any mishaps.

“Of course,” Coulson nodded. “I want one more out there with them. The rest of us will stay back on comms. Jemma, are you willing? Ward may need medical help.”

Jemma looked nervous as she glanced first at Fitz, then at Daisy. “I, uh… don’t know if going into a combat zone would be the best idea at this moment.”

“How come?” May asked.

“Um… This is not exactly how I — we— wanted to tell all of you.” She walked toward Fitz, taking his hand in hers. “We have some news.”

“Wait…” Bobbi looked interested, showing it by leaning forward. “Is this what I think it is?”

Daisy nodded, smirking.

“I’m pregnant,” Jemma admitted, turning to hide her face in Fitz’s shoulder. “I think it would be best if I stay here. Piper and Bobbi can help me set up the med bay. Maybe Mack should go. He does have some medical training.”

“Okay, first of all,” Elena started. “Does Mack really have to come on my first time back? You know how he’ll get. And second,” she turned towards FitzSimmons. “Congratulations!”

Jemma lifted her head, cheeks flushed as she smiled at the woman. “Thank you.”

“You knew about this?” Coulson turned to look at Daisy.

“Yep,” she looked smug.

“Wait, hold up,” Deke looked dazed. “You mean to tell me…”

“Deke,” Daisy warned. She knew he had to be surprised to know that the baby would be his mother. But not everyone knew, and she knew it was Fitz and Simmons choice to reveal who he was.

“Yeah, sorry, sorry,” he murmured. “But it’s weird.”

“What’s weird?” Mack sounded curious.

Deke looked at Daisy, his expression saying “help me.”

“Eh, it’s nothing to worry about,” Daisy tried to wave it off. “You know Deke. Things weird him out that are normal to us.”

Mack didn’t seem to buy it, but he let it go, moving over to congratulate the couple. “Way to go, Turbo.”

For a few minutes, everyone forgot their mission, swarming around their two scientists. This was a beacon of light and hope in the middle of everything that was going on.

“Okay, okay,” Coulson called for attention five minutes later. “Jemma will stay here and prepare the med bay. Mack, I want you to go with Joey, Elena and Daisy. When you go in, you’ll stay in pairs. Mack and Daisy, and Joey and Elena. You have to be prepared for anything. This is Hale, _Hydra_. Spend the next twenty-four hours preparing. You’ll have access to anything you need. We have to hope that the Clairvoyant doesn’t know about this. We also need to hope Ward holds out.”

The team nodded solemnly, glancing at each other. This was going to be a tricky mission. All four of them had spent a lot of time away from the field recently. Elena, as she had been recovering, and Mack, since he stayed at her side. Joey had gotten to live a normal life, but now he had been dragged back in. And Daisy still didn’t want to risk becoming the Destroyer of Worlds, but as the chamber hadn’t been found yet, it was safe enough.

Despite this, they all worked together. Daisy, Elena and Joey had worked together when they fought the Watchdogs, the three Inhumans knowing to trust each other. Elena and Mack trusted each other, and Daisy and Mack had been partners, once.

This would be a test of the strength of the team, as well as them as individuals. This mission could go horribly wrong, but they had to go through with it.

They couldn’t let Hydra get one up on them.

 

* * *

 

Ward spat out a mouthful of blood as he glared up at the man in front of him.

“Tell me where Daisy Johnson is.”

Ward shook his head, holding strong. For the past hour, he had been tied to a chair, the ropes so tight it was causing his wrists and ankles to bleed. He had been cut, punched, smacked and electrocuted as they tried to pull information out of him. There was a two inch long burn mark on his leg from an iron poker. And that was just from the past hour.

It was now day three of this, and he kept reminding himself that he had lived through worse.

On the first day, it had taken all of ten seconds before he discovered that General Hale was Hydra. She had him captured, because they had someone they called the Clairvoyant (and _wow,_ did that made him relive many memories) had known he had been brought back. It was common knowledge that he had once been Hydra, and they were hoping he would side with them again.

But he had made his choice, wanting to hold onto the chance that he could start over with his former SHIELD team. He held his good memories of them close as he was tortured. Even though his nerves were screaming with each shock, he didn’t break. It wasn’t the first time he had been through something like this.

He kept his jaw clenched as his head reeled backwards, cheek stinging from the brass knuckles that cut into his face.

They had used the blonde girl he now knew as Ruby, as the first attempt to get him to tell them information. She had flirted, but the tone hidden beneath her words made it clear to Ward that she was just following orders. It hadn’t worked, and that’s when they changed tactics.

Hale herself had appeared, expressing her disappointment that he wasn’t going to join them the easy way. She had used her words, trying to twist his mind to believe that the SHIELD team would never forgive him, or trust him. She had asked him what the point was to stay with them when every one of his actions had to be monitored.

For a split second, he considered her question. He had hurt them all, and wouldn’t blame them if they never forgave him. But even if they always looked at him warily, he knew where he wanted to be. Even if he had to be watched every step of the way for the rest of his life. He had the chance to start over, to live the life he never had.

He thought about Daisy (he was _still_ working on getting used to the name), and what she had meant to him. Ward rarely let himself dwell on his emotions, as he was taught that it was a weakness. But his time at the Lighthouse had changed him. He wasn’t sure if Daisy could still call him a robot anymore, at least, if she knew what went on in his head. He still acted indifferent, as it would take time overcome his previous training. Garrett’s years of influence couldn’t be wiped away overnight.

But he was slowly being brought into the dynamics of the team, even though it was mostly Hayden and Piper, as they were his handlers. Hunter and Deke seemed to be warming up to him, but Ward knew that most of the rest of the team needed more proof that he was firmly on their side, that he wouldn’t betray them again.

The hardest to convince would be Fitz, Simmons, and Daisy. He knew that. He had hurt them the worst. But he was most concerned on getting Daisy to believe him. Even if she could never forgive him, he wanted her to know why he did what he did.

She was the one piece of the puzzle he had never expected. He knew how to handle Coulson, May and FitzSimmons. But then they brought “Skye” on board as a consultant, things changed. At first, he thought he could ignore her. Then he became her S.O. Garrett asked him if he thought he could bring her to their side. But Ward knew Daisy thought she had found a home with the team, and she wouldn’t want to leave it. He was just one part of the team. The rest was loyal to SHIELD, and she would side with them.

Then she turned on them, running back to the Rising Tide, and while the smallest part of Ward was hurt, he was mostly pissed. He elected to going back to ignoring her, and for awhile, he thought it could work. Then Coulson was taken, and they had to put aside any differences. Ward knew she could be a big help, and she proved herself.

That was when his walls started crumbling. Seeing the team, _his_ team, coming together to save Coulson. He had to admit, even he was worried about the man. His greeting after Coulson returned was sincere. No one would’ve been surprised if he had simply nodded and gone back to work. But he wanted to say more.

It had gotten harder from there, to keep the walls up. The hardest blow was when “Skye” had been shot, and almost died. It was then that he truly realized she was becoming his weakness. Even when his betrayal had been revealed, he tried to help her, keep her as safe as possible.

Hydra always underestimated his loyalty to her.

 

* * *

 

Hale stood in the doorway, hands clasped in front of her as she stared at the girl who was sitting on the bed.

“I am starting to doubt your skills, Clairvoyant.”

The girl looked up, eyes fierce as she stared Hale down. Her dark curls framed her pale face. “Don’t call me that.”

“Well, you are one, are you not? You have told us about the future, and these events have come true. At this moment, we have Grant Ward in our care. He hasn’t broken yet, but I’m sure we’ll get there.”

“Then why are you doubting me if what I’m telling you is coming true?” the girl raised an eyebrow, trying to hide her fear. She knew if she stopped being useful, they would have no hesitations to get rid of her.

“Because besides the information on Grant Ward, you have given us almost nothing we can work with. I don’t care that a plane is going to fall out of the sky, or that an earthquake is going to hit California. I don’t know how your so-called powers work, but if we don’t get something better to work with, you’re done. I hope you’re not holding anything out on us.”

“And if I was?” the girl crossed her arms across her chest as she glared at Hale.

“You would have two choices. Tell us, and nothing happens to you. Or we force it out of you. If you do know something… I hope you make the right choice, Clairvoyant,” Hale walked out of the room, waving her hand at a guard to close the door.

“My name is Tess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the identity of the Clairvoyant has been revealed. And now the team knows about Jemma. I felt it was about time to reveal both things.
> 
> Let me know how you feel about the identity of the Clairvoyant.
> 
> Next up, Ward's rescue mission and the big Daisy/Ward scene.


	9. Rescue Missions and Reconciliations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mack, Elena, Joey and Daisy go to break Ward out. They find him in rough shape, and bring him back to the Lighthouse for Jemma to patch up. Two weeks later, Ward and Daisy finally have an honest conversation.

Elena sped ahead, noting how many guards were surrounding the building. As she made it back to Joey, she rapidly fired off her information through coms, making sure the other pair knew what they were up against.

General Hale had upped the security since the last time they had broken in. Ruby stood at attention, a new vibranium blade in her hand, this one smaller than the last. At her side were twenty guards, all watching her as if waiting for orders. There was a sniper waiting on top of the building, and they knew there would be more guards inside.

With a silent nod, Elena and Joey advanced, bringing the focus to them. Meanwhile, Mack and Daisy made a beeline to one of the side doors that was less guarded.

The minute Elena and Joey made themselves known, every guard had their gun pointed at them. Ruby was scowling as she looked at Joey, but smirked when she turned back to Elena. She dragged her fingers across the flat edge of the blade, making sure not to break eye contact with Elena.

Mack looked like he wanted to use his shotgun-axe on the blonde, but he and Daisy forged ahead. Daisy had one glove off as a precaution, though she had made it clear she would only use her powers as an absolute last resort.

Mack pulled Daisy behind a hedge as a few more guards approached. As they waited for them to pass, the two SHIELD agents scanned their surroundings, looking for the side door they would be using to sneak in the building. It had been decided that they would go in and find Ward, while Joey and Elena distracted the guards.

As soon as Ruby’s blade went flying through the air, Daisy and Mack slipped in the side door, the last glimpse of their teammates being Joey planting himself in front of Elena, ready to melt the blade as the other guards’ guns disappeared, courtesy of Elena.

 

* * *

Daisy started down the hallway, Mack behind her. She knew the layout of the building, and was counting on Elena and Joey to distract the guards long enough that they could make it to where Ward was most likely being kept.

Mack had his shotgun-axe at the ready, looking for any clue that they might not be alone. They knew that they had gotten in too easily, so they were expecting something to jump out at them. There was no way Hale would let them get this far.

Daisy came to a stop as she heard a small hissing noise coming from above her. Glancing up, she noticed a small stream of gas spreading across the hallway. She silently pointed it out to Mack. He nodded, letting her know he saw it. As he went to grab a few bandanas out of his bag that they could use to cover their noses and mouths, the gas made it to their level, and before they could do anything, they inhaled.

They looked at each other cautiously, unsure what would happen. When they didn’t start coughing or collapsing, they continued on. Even though nothing happened yet, they had their guards up. They knew Hale had a lot of tricks up her sleeve.

They continued down the hallway, and as they neared the door they were heading for, things started to happen.

Mack’s grip on his weapon slackened, and it fell to the ground, the noise echoing through the hallway. He blinked, knowing that what he was seeing couldn’t be real. However, he so desperately wished it was.

Standing a few feet away from him was Hope, holding hands with Elena, the Inhuman with both her arms as she smiled at him. Upon seeing him, Hope let go of her hand, running towards him, a grin on her face.

Mack dropped to his knees, holding his arms out. As Hope reached him, he hugged her close, eyes closing as he let himself get lost in the moment. This was what he wanted. His daughter back, Elena at his side as they raised her. He was proud of Elena for her determination, but also wished things were back to normal, and she never had to go through the process of losing her arms.

On the other side of the hallway, Daisy made to step towards her friend, concerned at his actions, as she couldn’t see what he was seeing. However, someone calling her name distracted her. She turned, hand outstretched, as a warning. She dropped it when she saw Lincoln, standing in front of her, his hands tucked into the pockets of the lab coat he was wearing. Standing with him were her parents, along with Coulson and May.

“Lincoln?” she whispered as he moved towards her. As he embraced her, she let tears fall. Right here, she had a family. Her parents, before they went crazy, both of them just wanting to live a normal life with her. One where she grew up with them, never spending time in the system. And May and Coulson, who had become something of parents during her time with SHIELD.

Both of them were so wrapped up in what they were seeing that they didn’t notice a nearby door open, a figure slipping out.

Tess stared at the two people she recognized, both entranced by something she couldn’t see. She knew it was risky to intervene, as Hale would be checking in. However, she had to help her friends. Digging in her pockets, she found two strips of fabric. She crept over towards Mack first, who was facing away from her and Daisy. She quickly tied the fabric around his mouth and nose, scurrying over to do the same to Daisy before he could process what happened.

Tess hesitated for a moment, before slipping back into the room she had come out of. She knew she couldn’t make herself known, not yet. She had instructions, and for a little bit longer, she had to stay with Hydra. She would get out in time.

 

* * *

Elena’s eyes widened as she spotted the sniper on the nearby building. She looked over at her partner, who was engaging with Ruby. The blonde had learned her lesson, as she didn’t try and use the blade against him. Instead, she pulled out a set of batons that looked like Bobbi’s, but weren’t metal.

She and Joey were fight one on one at the blonde’s insistence, the guards all ready to intervene if needed. Two of them were holding Elena at gun point. She had been staying put so far, looking for the best opportunity. However, once she noticed the sniper moving to take aim at Joey, she knew she had to act. She knew that if he saw the sniper, it would be easy for him to melt the bullet before it hit him. But he was too engaged with Ruby to notice.

Elena saw Ruby make a hand gesture, meant for the sniper. At the same time the bullet was fired, she shoved past the two guards that were on her, startling them. She reached her teammate, pushing him out of the way so the bullet wouldn’t kill him.

She hadn’t been fast enough to move Joey completely out of the way, but instead of the bullet passing through his heart, it went through his shoulder, embedding itself in Ruby’s arm.

Both Joey and Ruby cried out as they were hit, both stumbling back. Elena caught her partner, moving quickly to get him out of the open. She didn’t stick around to see what would happen with Ruby.

“Mack,” she called through the coms. “Joey’s been hit.”

All she got in response was static. She tried not to worry as she called out to Daisy, but to no avail. Sighing in frustration, she turned to Joey, grabbing a bandana out of her pocket. Moving carefully, she wrapped it around his shoulder, murmuring an apology when he winced in pain. Once she was satisfied, she peered out to see what was going on.

Ruby was glaring at the sniper as one of the guards helped her up. Once she was on her feet, she yanked her arm out of the guard’s grip. She started yelling at them, but was just far away enough that Elena couldn’t hear her.

“Stay here,” Elena looked at her partner. “Mack and Daisy aren’t answering. I’m going to go see if they need help.” Before he could protest, she was gone.

 

* * *

 

Elena paused as she saw a door shut on one side of the hallway, her two teammates on the other. They looked dazed as they blinked, like they were coming out of a trance.

“Mack. Daisy. Are you okay?” Elena asked as she approached them. “What happened?”

“I, uh…” Daisy glanced at Mack. “There was some kind of gas that got to us. I saw… some things.” She didn’t want to reveal what she saw, what was able to throw her off balance.

Mack nodded his assent. “It wasn’t real, but it felt like it. I don’t know how these,” he pointed at the bandanas, “got on our faces. But however they did, it’s what saved us. I guess the gas must be gone if you’re okay.”

“Where’s Joey?” Daisy asked, noting the absence of their fourth teammate.

“He got shot,” Elena’s face was grim. “There was a sniper I didn’t notice until it was almost too late. If there hadn’t been two guards holding me at gun point, I would’ve had enough time to get him completely out of the way. As it was, I was able to move him enough so he was shot in the shoulder, rather than through his heart. The bullet passed clean through his arm and hit Ruby.”

“Serves her right,” Mack muttered. “How’s Joey holding up?”

“He’s okay, but we’re going to want Jemma to check it out. He’s outside, safe. Let’s make this quick.”

The three turned towards the end of the hallway where a single door stood. They made their way closer, all three of them with a gun out in front of them.

As Mack and Elena turned around to stand guard, Daisy approached the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it.

 

* * *

Daisy didn’t know what she was expecting when they found Ward. She knew how vicious Hydra could be when they wanted something, but it had been awhile since she had seen the results of their “interrogation.”

He was bound to a chair in the middle of the room, head hanging down. His mouth was gagged, the fabric pulled tight. He was unconscious.

Daisy approached him cautiously as she categorized his injuries. His arms were black and blue, burn marks scattered up and down the limbs. His pants had been burned through as well, leaving scars on his legs. There were welts on his arms, and bruises around his eyes. There were a few nasty looking scars marring his face, too close to his eye for comfort. There was a small trickle of blood leaving the corner of his mouth. Some of his fingers were bent at unnatural angles, and his ankle appeared twisted. Rope burns wrapped around his wrists and ankles, and Daisy didn’t even want to think about the injuries she couldn’t see. Knowing what Hydra was capable of, she knew there was more not easily visible to the eye.

Daisy quickly started untying him, first working on his ankles, careful not to jostle the twisted one. She moved onto his wrists, avoiding his broken fingers, before pulling the gag away.

“Ward,” she hissed as she gently poked his side with the butt of her gun. “Wake up.”

After a moment, his eyes flew open, arms moving out to grab at her before he realized who it was. “Skye?” he asked, breaths heavy.

“It’s Daisy. How many times do I have to tell you that?” she rolled her eyes. “C’mon, we gotta go. Mack and Elena are out in the hallway, and we have to get Joey before we can leave. We don’t have much time.”

Ward nodded, and attempted to stand, faltering slightly as his ankle buckled underneath him, pain shooting up his side. He had been used to pushing through injuries, but it had been so long since he last had to that the pain took him by surprise.

Realizing she’d need help, Daisy called out for Mack. Once the man entered the room, he helped Ward up.

Daisy led them out of the room, joining Elena as they left. The two women walked in front of the men, guns drawn. They made it out of the building without too much trouble.

They expected to see all the guards ready to fight, but instead, they were greeted by the sight of ten guards passed out on the ground and Ruby unconscious, tied to a nearby tree. As they paused to take in the sight. Joey appeared. He was bleeding from his shoulder, and his face looked pale.

“Did you do all this?” Elena asked, looking impressed.

Joey nodded as he waved them over. “They weren’t expecting it. We don’t have much time, though, until they wake up. We need to move. Now.”

 

* * *

The moment they were back at the Lighthouse, Jemma was there, rushing Mack and Ward into the med bay, the three Inhumans right behind them.

As Jemma and Mack got to work on helping Ward, who they had sedated, Elena and Daisy got to work on patching up Joey’s arm. Neither woman got any substantial injuries, so they were waiting to deal with their small cuts and bruises.

Once Joey was patched up, the three Inhumans took their leave, heading towards the common room for a debrief of the mission. Daisy left out what she had seen due to the gas, not wanting to discuss something so personal. She knew Mack would do the same. After all, it wouldn’t hurt not to tell the team. In the end, it hadn’t been life threatening.

After the debrief, the team split up. Joey and Elena stayed there, the latter keeping an eye on the former to make sure there was nothing more serious she needed to help with. May and Bobbi went off to train, and Deke and Hunter headed towards the kitchen. Fitz was talking quietly with Hayden and Piper, and Coulson and Daisy both retreated to their rooms. They knew it would be awhile before Jemma and Mack would reappear, and they all tried to keep busy until then.

 

* * *

“That should do it,” Jemma pulled off her gloves as she glanced over at Ward. He was in one of the hospital beds, asleep as an IV supplied him with saline. “Thank you for your help, Mack.”

“Of course,” he nodded.

“It will be a few hours before he wakes up. He’ll need to stay sedentary for at least a week. We don’t want him ripping open those stitches or aggravating the other injuries.” Jemma didn’t take her eyes off of the sleeping man. “He’s really telling the truth, isn’t he?”

Mack sighed. “Yeah, I think he is. Hydra hasn’t come after us, and from the few things he was able to tell us, Hale was really working on getting him to spill. But he didn’t.”

“It’s weird, having him back. When we first started out as a team, I never thought it would turn out this way. And even after all he’s done,” Jemma shook her head as she ran her fingers across her wedding ring. “Part of me is glad to have him back on our side. He’s skilled, and he could be a big help to us. We used to be able to trust him, and now, maybe we can again.”

As they left the room, Mack glanced back one more time. “I guess we all have to accept the fact that he’s really here to stay.”

 

* * *

**Two Weeks Later…**

 

Ward had been discharged by Jemma two days ago, and he had gotten re-integrated with the team. Though he could tell they were still wary around him, they started including him in more conversations. They had all accepted that he was telling the truth, as they had seen what he had gone through to keep their plans a secret. However, he still wasn't fully free, as Daisy hadn’t removed his tracking bracelet. He was fine with it, though. Even though Daisy could always find him, or restrict his actions, he no longer had to have Piper and Hayden with him at all times.

He even had his own room, now. It was bare, but it was his.

With his newfound freedom and free time, Ward was working on getting back into shape. He had healed enough that he could do so without re-injuring himself, but he still had to be carefully.

As he entered the training room, he saw Daisy. She was focused on the punching bag in front of her, her gloved hands pummeling it.

“I, uh… I can come back later,” Ward spoke up from the doorway as she noticed him.

She paused, wiping a strand of hair away from her eyes. She stared at him, before rolling her eyes. “I guess we have to start learning to work alongside each other again. You can stay, as long as you keep quiet.”

Ward took the peace offering, heading over to where she was. He wrapped his hands silently, before taking his place in front of the other punching bag. They trained in silence for the next twenty minutes, the only sounds being their fists hitting the punching bags.

“Why did you do it?” Daisy asked suddenly.

Ward turned to look at her as she purposefully kept her eyes away from him. “Do what?”

“FitzSimmons,” was all she said.

Sighing, Ward turned towards her. “Garrett ordered me to kill them. He wanted me to put two bullets in their brains. But I couldn’t. Despite my best efforts, I was starting to care, get attached. Even though I was loyal to Garrett, I didn’t want them to die. So I gave them a fighting chance. And it worked. They’re both still alive.”

“You don't know how hard it was for them afterwards,” Daisy punched the bag harder. “It was hard for them to even be in the same room for awhile after. Jemma went undercover, and Fitz was on his own, without his best friend. You didn’t see what it did to them. The one thing Fitz prized against everything else was damaged. He’s never been the same since.”

“I’ll always be sorry about it,” Ward replied honestly.

“Did you ever want to leave Hydra? Or were we just pawns to you?” Anger began creeping into Daisy’s voice.

“The team started as pawns. We didn’t work well together, and I think at the start, we didn’t want to. And then you came along,” Ward shrugged. “You befriended FitzSimmons, and found a mentor in Coulson. We all grew closer, but I felt like I owed something to Garrett. My loyalty was to him, not Hydra.”

“Yet you did horrible things in their name,” Daisy sneered as she turned away from the bag, looking at him for the first time since he entered the room. “You hurt, you killed, you betrayed. I can’t look at you without reliving some of my worst memories. And the worst thing is that those memories aren’t about you. They’re about Hive.” She cut him off before he could talk again. “And yeah, I know technically that wasn't you. But Hive was wearing your face.”

“What did Hive even do?” Ward asked. He didn’t know much about that time, but based on Daisy’s reaction, it had to be bad.

Her eyes blazed as she stared him down. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Ward stared at her. He had never seen her look more intimidating. He didn’t want to push her into talking, but he needed to know what Hive had done. “Sk— Daisy…”

“I said I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fine,” he rolled his eyes. “Then can we at least spar? Seems like you have anger you need to get out.”

“Whatever,” she replied. “And how about this? I won’t use my powers. That way, you’ll have a fighting chance.”

They got into defensive positions, staring each other down as they waited for someone to make the first move.

Daisy moved in, glaring at him as she landed a hit on his shoulder, watching as he winced. She had punched one of the long gashes left from his time with Hydra.

She had no time to think about it, though, as he moved to knock her off her feet.

They moved quickly, no time in between attempts to strike each other. They had been going at it for twenty minutes, and Daisy was using the opportunity to get all her anger at him out. She was quick on her feet, her years of training kicking in. She had been trained by Melinda May— the Cavalry— herself.

Daisy’s eyes scanned Ward for any weakness. She had more practice fighting than he had, and she used it to her advantage. As an opening presented itself, she stepped in, dodging the elbow that was aimed at her face. She grabbed his arm as she got into position, swiping his legs out from under him as she flipped him over. She smirked as he landed on the ground, planting her foot on his chest.

“I win.”

Ward sat up once her foot was lifted. “You’ve improved,” he nodded, impressed. “I wouldn’t want to fight you in an actual battle.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And that was without my powers.”

“You could’ve used them, you know. You should practice with them. I know you haven’t been using them recently. Do you want to enlighten me as to why?”

Daisy glared at him again. “If you know I haven’t been using them, you probably know why.”

Ward shook his head. “I don’t. I didn’t want to press the issue. It should come from you.”

She snorted incredulously as she unwrapped her hands. “I’m surprised you didn’t try and find out yourself. They probably would’ve told you, if you asked. Well, some of them would.”

“I’m trying to start fresh, here.”

“How about this. I’ll tell you why I don’t use my powers anymore _if_ you answer my questions.”

“Deal,” Ward nodded.

Daisy paced back and forth as Ward stayed seated on the ground. “We went to the future, saw how destroyed it was. And it was all because of me. The Destroyer of Worlds. It’s a code name for a project Whitehall created. Ruby was perfectly engineered to be the Destroyer of Worlds, but apparently, I was the one who went in the chamber, got infused with gravitonium and destroyed the world. I don’t want that to be my legacy, so I decided if I don’t use my powers again, I can’t end life as we know it.”

“Do the gloves have something to do with it?”

“Jemma designed them. They keep my powers at bay. Now, that’s enough from me. It’s your turn.”

Ward had no idea how long they had been there as he answered all of Daisy’s questions honestly. She had a lot of them, and as he promised, he answered them all, leaving no details out.

And then he had to go and open his mouth. “So I know all about your former Inhuman team. Whatever happened to the fourth member? Uh, Lincoln Campbell? I know you, Joey and Elena still work together, but—”

Just like that, one of Daisy’s gloves was off and she used her powers to back him up against a wall. “Don’t you dare talk about him. You don’t get to.”

Ward held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Okay, I guess it was bad.”

She sneered as she sent another blast at him. As she stood towering over him, he gulped. He had never been scared of her before, but here he was, at her mercy.

“Was it Hive?” Ward wanted to know. Daisy herself had told him things Hive had done in his body made up some of her worst nightmares. Maybe whatever happened to Lincoln Campbell was one of them.

“I will never forgive Hive for what he did. He put me under his control, and I worked against my team, my family. The worst part was that when I was freed from him, I _wanted_ to go back. I felt drawn to him. He made me distrust myself. I couldn’t look at myself for a long time. And finally, when I was starting to feel normal again—” her voice broke as she remembered the mission where she lost Lincoln.

Ward looked up at her, concerned.

“Lincoln was important to me. He helped me understand my powers, and he was my anchor as I went through terrigenesis.” Daisy didn’t know what was driving her to tell Ward what happened, but she went with it. She needed to let it out. “He made me happy, and for awhile, things were good. But when it was time to defeat Hive… I knew someone was going to die. Another Inhuman gave me a vision. We weren’t sure who it was going to be until too late. He was already injured, but somehow he made his way up to a pod, and closed it off, trapping himself with Hive. The last conversation I had with him…” her eyes were heavy as she dropped her hand. “He told me he loved me. And I was never able to say it back. He died, sacrificed himself to save everyone else.”

“That’s why—”

“I couldn’t look at you. It just reminded me of the loss of Lincoln all over again. After he died, I left SHIELD for awhile. I couldn’t stay anymore. I didn’t know I loved him until I lost him.” She sat down next to him, the closest she had been since he had arrived. There were tears streaming down her face, and Ward was surprised she was allowing herself to show emotion around him.

It stung, hearing her say that she loved Lincoln. There was a time when Ward had hoped she could learn to love him. But it was too late. “He did it for you,” Ward replied softly. “Love makes you do crazy things.”

Daisy looked at him, knowing what he was talking about. “I know how you felt, Ward. About me, way back when. And for awhile, I thought maybe it could be. But you betrayed us.”

“I know,” Ward hung his head. “There’s no chance of anything happening again, is there?”

“No. I can’t love you like that, not anymore. I’m not the same girl who kissed you all those years ago,” Daisy shook her head. “Too much has happened since then. But maybe I can learn to forgive you.”

Ward smiled sadly. “I’ll take what I can get.” He hesitantly went to hug her, pausing as he scanned her face. He wanted to have her trust him again, so he needed her to give her approval. He knew normally she wouldn’t allow it, but talking about Lincoln obviously drained her emotionally.

His hope of forming a friendship with her again bloomed as she allowed him to wrap an arm around her as she curled towards him.

It was a start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like it was time for Daisy and Ward to talk things out. It's obviously far from perfect, but they're willing to work on it. The next chapter will be mostly lighthearted as Ward rebuilds friendships, and Deke gets more used to being in a different time. I hope to have it up on Thursday, as some of it is written, but since finals start that day, we'll see. (Something big going to happen at the end of the next chapter, so get ready!)


	10. Forgiveness and the Reappearance of an Old Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finds out about Deke, and Ward rebuilds friendship, or at least an understanding, with each member of the team. And just when everything seems like it's going well, they get a surprise.

Jemma sighed as she watched Deke and Hunter sneak off again. It was nice to see Deke getting to know the team, but the two of them had a knack of getting into trouble.

Deciding whatever they were up to wasn’t worth her attention, she ambled down the hallway, heading towards her room. She opened the door, smiling when she saw her husband sitting on the bed, flipping through some papers.

“Do you think we should tell them?” she asked from the doorway.

He looked up as he set the papers aside. “About…?”

“Deke,” she replied as she sat down on the bed. “That he’s our grandson. They deserve to know, Leo. They’re our team, our family.”

“We can tell them tonight, if you really want to.”

“I think we should,” she squeezed his hand. “It’s a show of trust, and we can’t ask Deke to keep this quiet anymore. Not after our last reveal.”

At her words, Fitz laid his head on her shoulder. “I still can’t believe it. That we’ve come this far, and that we have a chance to start a family. Together.” He ran his thumb over their wedding rings. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too.”

 

* * *

“Okay, just… be quiet for a minute,” Hunter glared at Deke. “This won’t work if they hear you coming.”

Deke held his hands up in a placating gesture as he continued to follow his friend. They made their way quietly towards Ward’s new room, where Piper and Hayden where talking with him. They had been the first to accept him, having spent the most time with him as his handlers.

He didn’t have history with them, or reasons that he really needed to fix friendships, but it was nice for him to talk to people that could easily look him in the eye, without remembering his actions. He wouldn’t call them close friends, but he trusted them just enough that they had been in his room for the past hour, talking.

Hunter and Deke had planned to pull a prank on Ward, as an act of acceptance. It seemed counterproductive, but for their team, it was normal. They weren’t trying to prank the two women, but they couldn’t risk them hearing them.

Deke had explored the entire base, finding hidden doors and passageways. One of those was going to be coming in handy. Deke would sneak into the bathroom attached to Ward’s room, where he’d mess with some of the products. Meanwhile, Hunter would enter the room, acting as if he had been looking for Piper, telling her Jemma wanted to talk to her. They had guessed Hayden would go with her, leaving Ward alone in his room.

Hunter would find a way to get a tracker to embed himself in the bottom of Ward’s shoe. They knew the bracelet had one, but Daisy would need to access it, and they didn’t want her to know what they were up to.

 

* * *

Ward scowled as he stalked down the hallway toward the kitchen. It was dinner time, and the whole team was gathering to eat together. Ward had just taken a shower after spending time in the training room, Bobbi willing to spar with him.

And now his hair was bright pink.

Daisy stifled a laugh as she spotted him, nudging Jemma who was standing next to her. “I see you have a new look.”

“Not by choice,” he retorted. “Hunter, Deke,” he turned towards where they were sitting. “I know you two did this.”

“What ever do you mean?” Hunter asked far too innocently. “How could I have gotten my hands on your shampoo? You know I only entered your room, not your bathroom.”

“And I was nowhere near there,” Deke added in. “I mean, did you see us?”

“No,” Ward reluctantly admitted. “But I still know it was you two. Who else would it have been?”

“Alright, alright. Let’s stop arguing and actually eat. This is the first time we’ve all been able to eat at the same time,” Coulson stepped between them, raising an eyebrow at the shocking pink hair, but thankfully not saying anything. “Also, our favorite scientists have an announcement.”

All eyes turned toward Fitz and Simmons as everyone else sat down.

Jemma held onto her husband’s hand as she took a deep breath. “As you know, I’m pregnant. But what you don't know is the path our family will take. When we were in the future, we met our grandson, our daughter’s son. You met him, too.”

“Deke, will you—” Fitz started.

Deke stood up, before waving. “Hi, guys. I know it’s really weird, but those two lovebirds are my grandparents.”

 

* * *

 

The news was like a bomb had been dropped. Everyone, save for Daisy was shocked. Ward, though he knew Deke was their grandson, didn’t know that Jemma was pregnant.

“I’m taking it you knew this, too?” May looked at Daisy.

Daisy nodded. “I did. But it was their news to tell.”

“Did anyone else know?” Coulson looked around the table.

Ward hesitantly raised his hand. “I did.”

“How did you find out?” Fitz asked.

Shrugging, Ward answered. “I did research when I first woke up, alive again. When I was trying to find you guys, I came across some information Hale had. She didn’t hide it well enough. When Deke was in prison and Sk-Daisy went to break him out, they tried to figure out who he was. They ran his DNA, and found out that though he technically didn’t exist, there were two matches to his DNA. You two,” he looked at the scientists.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Jemma glanced at him quickly.

“I figured it wasn’t my place to say anything,” was all he replied with. He felt everyone staring at him, but ignored it, choosing to start on his meal. After a moment, everyone else followed suit, and they fell into a more light conversation.

 

* * *

**Two Weeks Later…**

Daisy laughed as Ward hoisted her onto his back, breaking into a run as he made his way towards the common room.

Ever since they started rebuilding their friendship, it wasn’t uncommon to see him giving her piggyback rides, or to see her putting flowers in his (thankfully no longer pink) hair while he slept. It had taken a week for these events to start happening, but though eyebrows would be raised, no one said anything about it.

There was a small smile tugging on the corner of his mouth as she adjusted her grip, arms hanging around his neck.

It had taken nearly a month since they rescued him from Hydra for Daisy to trust him again. They took it slowly, starting out with a group, usually including Hayden or Piper, until she was comfortable spending time one on one with him.

May and Coulson still watched him carefully when he spent time with her, making sure he didn’t do anything to hurt her. He couldn’t blame them. They were both fond of Daisy, and had become something of a patchwork family, just the three of them.

When he reached the common room, he dropped Daisy down on the couch, before heading to the kitchen to grab them popcorn. By the time he returned, a movie had been put in, and Daisy was curled up on one end of the couch. She was typing away on a laptop, probably doing more research into the Destroyer of Worlds project, or doing research on Hale and Ruby. He knew that Daisy took it personally that not only Elena, but Piper and Joey got injured because of them. 

He raised an eyebrow as she glanced back up at him. “Find anything interesting?”

She shrugged. “Nothing that I didn’t already know, or that pertains to what I’m looking for.” She set the laptop aside, grabbing the remote instead. “You’ve missed some great movies when you were… you know. So let’s just get started on catching you up.” She started up the movie, eyes focused on the screen.

Ward noticed that there were times that though they were rebuilding their friendship, she would pull away. She wouldn’t outwardly share information with him, only giving enough of a response to his questions that would get him to stop pressing. He let her, though. He knew she needed time, and even though it stung for them to be laughing and happy one minute, and not talking the next, he let it go. It happened less often the more time passed, but he still watched for it.

This was one of those times. He knew from Jemma, who he was also rebuilding a friendship with, that there were times she got lost in her memories. Daisy couldn’t help it sometimes, and seeing him sometimes made it worse. But she was making an effort, and once she got a handle on the flashback, she would be back to smiling and laughing with him.

 

* * *

Ward groaned as he woke up, stretching his arms above his head. Somewhere between the fourth and fifth movie of the night, he had fallen asleep. The silver bracelet slid down his arm as he did so.

Blinking, he realized it was late. The clock in the corner of the room read 3:27 am. Glancing around, he realized Daisy wasn’t there anymore. However, she had to have been the one to move the bowl of popcorn, turn the television off, and drape a blanket over him.

Reluctantly, he stood up, ready to head back to his room. He could get in a couple more hours of sleep until his internal alarm woke him up. As he walked past other rooms, most of them dark, he paused in front of the training room. Bobbi was at the punching bag, concentrating on it as she talked to someone. It took a minute for Ward to see who else was there, but he spotted Daisy sitting on a mat in the corner of the room, laptop resting on her legs. Though she was staring at the screen, fingers typing, it was clear her attention was on Bobbi.

Deciding to leave them to it, Ward headed back to his room, curious about what they were talking about at this hour. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to be awake, as their sleeping schedules were all over the place, but usually those awake would congregate in the kitchen for a late night snack.

He didn’t bother turning the light on in his room, making his way through the dark. He knew the room well, and within minutes, he was tumbling into bed.

He stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Instead, he was thinking over his current standing with everyone on the team. Hayden and Piper were open with him, and if he wanted to spend time with people who had no trouble looking at him or talking with him without reliving memories, he’d go to them. 

Deke was a weird one, and though there was no bad blood between them, Ward preferred to spend time with the others. He had his own things to deal with, working on catching up on what he had missed when he had been dead. Explaining the functions of simple things to Deke was too much for him to deal with at the moment.

Hunter would still make jokes, and seemed to have fun seeing how far he could go with them. Ward never saw Hunter as someone who could be a close friend, but knew that the Brit would be a good teammate.

Joey, Elena and Mack could often be talking in Spanish, conversations in which he would catch his name. The two native Spanish speakers would often trade glances, but none of the three seemed to have too many hesitations talking to him, or asking him to do something. Joey was the most open to him, but he wasn’t close to any of them, not yet.

May and Coulson treated him as if he was simply another agent. He wasn’t a comrade, not yet, but wasn’t a stranger by any means. It reminded him of the early days of their original team. He was respected for his skills, but was treated cautiously.

Bobbi, Fitz and Simmons seemed to be the closest to Daisy at the moment. Bobbi was the most open to him, though he suspected that it was partly because she knew she could take him if it came to it. She had more training, and with her batons, he wouldn’t want to make her mad. She treated him only slightly more friendly than May and Coulson. However, Ward knew that over time, once the team was secure with him, they could get along.

The two scientists were wary around him, but he couldn’t blame them. A lot of time had passed since he had dropped them into the ocean, but based on what he knew, Fitz still doubted his brain sometimes. However, something seemed different, and Fitz would snark back at Ward without any trouble. Simmons, too, was different. Her eyes were harder, and he knew she had been trained in combat. Before, she didn’t like to use a gun, but now she could use one with ease. Both scientists were still the two smartest people he’d ever met, and he guessed that’s why they tended to stay clear of him when they were alone.

And with the revelation of Deke being their grandson, though Ward had already known that, and that Simmons was pregnant, it was even more understandable that she kept her distance from him. She had another life to worry about, and working on trusting him again wasn’t her top priority. However, despite that, she was making an effort, and it seemed like it was for Daisy’s sake. She was the Inhuman’s most trusted confident, after all, and with Ward carving out a new place in Daisy’s life, Jemma was trying. The past week she had been making a bigger effort, and it seemed like they were somewhat friends again.

Then there was Daisy. He would still slip up, the name Skye on the tip of his tongue. She was trying hard, though Ward wouldn’t kid himself into thinking that it was because she missed him. Daisy was smart, and knew a team had to trust each other. However, they were making progress, and while Ward still loved her, and always would, it was different. Any last bit of romantic interest in her had faded, even though he still thought she was beautiful. But he was looking at her now as family, the first time he had let himself call someone that in years. 

He hoped one day she would feel the same.

 

* * *

 

“I talked to Bobbi about something last night. She was awake, and I needed another opinion on what I was considering doing.” 

Ward looked up from the tablet he was on. He had been in the common room for an hour, after getting his training in for the day. He had been so engrossed in what he was reading that he didn’t realize that he was now alone. When he had arrived, Deke, Piper and Joey had been in the room. Now, it was just Daisy, who was leaning against the doorway.

“I noticed Bobbi in the training room when I headed back to my room. Is what you were talking about something you’d like to tell me?” He watched her as she hesitated for a moment, as if she was having a battle with herself. Then she blinked, and he could see the determination in her eyes. She walked over to him, as if she was on a mission.

“I think it’s time I take this off,” Daisy reached for his wrist. She held it for a moment, running her fingers over the silver, remembering when she had had one just like it on her wrist. “Disengage bracelet.”

The silver band unlocked, and she pulled it off. “This past month… I was finally able to come to terms with things, and seeing you interact with the team… It reminds me of the early days. I gotta say, I never thought I’d say this, but I missed it.” Her voice grew softer, something that didn’t happen very often anymore. “I missed having you around, Grant.”

He blinked in shock at the sound of his name. She rarely used it, choosing to use his last name or one of the variety of nicknames she had created, even before his betrayal had been known. He had gotten so used to hearing his last name, that he almost forgot his first name. 

He knew that her use of it was her way of telling him she had forgiven him, that things were okay between them now. It was an olive branch, and he was going to take it. He liked the way his name rolled off her tongue, and wanted to pay back the favor. For the longest time, he had to make an effort not to call her Skye. It was hard, as that was who he had known her as. But she was Daisy now. “I missed being around too, Daisy.”

 

* * *

She stumbled into her room at three in the morning, having spent the past eight hours searching databases for more information on the Destroyer of Worlds project. It was only after the combined efforts of Jemma and Grant forced her out of the chair and away from the computer did she reluctantly agree to get a few hours of sleep.

Daisy didn't bother turning on the lights, choosing instead to stumble around in the dark as she slipped out of her clothes, putting on an oversized shirt and a pair of shorts, too tired to pull her gloves off. Quickly putting her hair up, Daisy paused as she reached her bed.

There, sound asleep, was Lincoln. Deciding it was her mind playing tricks on her again, she crawled into bed, pulling the covers gently over her.

Even though it was just a dream or vision, it brought a sense of comfort to Daisy. She fell asleep quickly, the sound of Lincoln’s gentle breathing a lullaby to her as she pressed her arm against his.

It hadn’t been the first time she dreamt of him or seen him. It happened more often shortly after he died, born out of loss and guilt. Now, though, with old members of their team coming together again, and the gas that had made her seen him that she encountered a month ago, part of her yearned to have Lincoln back.

He appeared to her on her worst nights, when she felt the worst about herself or her powers. He would comfort her, tell her that her powers were a gift, not a curse. He was the only one who could convince her. She wasn’t sure why, as it couldn’t be because he, too, was an Inhuman. After all, neither Elena or Joey helped as much as he did.

Deep down, she suspected it was because how much he meant to her. If someone like him said she was special, and that her powers should be revered, not hated, she could believe it. She cared more about his words, even though they weren’t real, because he had loved her, and she had loved him. It had taken her too long to realize how she felt about him, too wrapped up in her past and insecurities.

Now, even though he was only a figment of her imagination, she would take what she could get.

 

* * *

 

Her eyes flew open at the sound of someone breathing heavily. She screamed when she spotted a figure asleep next to her.

Almost immediately, Daisy was up on her feet, grabbing the gun she kept under her pillow at all times. By the time Jemma and Grant arrived, as their rooms were right next to Daisy’s, ready to help at a moments notice, the gun was aimed.

“Daisy?” a slightly muffled, male voice murmured from under the covers. “You okay?”

Daisy’s hand faltered, the gun lowering, and Jemma’s hand flew up to cover her mouth, both stunned.

There were a few tears in Daisy’s eyes. “Lincoln?” she asked hesitantly. She would recognize his voice anywhere, but she couldn’t believe he was there. She pulled the blanket down, revealing said Inhuman who was still half asleep. However, despite this, there were sparks dancing between his fingers, as if he was ready to help if there was a threat. “It wasn’t a dream this time?”

“Oh my god,” Jemma muttered, turning to leave, tugging Grant behind her. She knew she had to leave the two alone, as the following conversation would likely end in tears. Daisy had admitted to seeing Lincoln occasionally, dreaming about him. It had come to light after the whole fiasco with Fitz and the Doctor. Daisy had only told Jemma to begin with, making her promise not to tell anyone else unless it got dangerous. Jemma had agreed, as dreams couldn’t hurt anyone, at least physically. After Daisy and Fitz were more comfortable around each other, having forgiven each other, he was also told.

“Is that—”

“Yes,” Jemma nodded as she pulled the door shut behind her. She made her way to the common room, Grant at her heels. “Lincoln Campbell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been trying to decide if Lincoln should come back or not, and in the end, the ideas I had that needed him seemed like a good way to go with the story. Thus, Lincoln was resurrected! Even though Lincoln will be a main character, and I will have parts of the story that focuses on him, this will NOT stop being a Grant Ward redemption story or deviate from trying to prevent the future.
> 
> Even though today was my first day of finals, and I'll have finals until Wednesday, the next chapter is pretty much done, so you will have the next regular update!


	11. The World is Counting on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finally discovers how Grant Ward was brought back, and that Lincoln is back as well. They are given information that will help them later down the line, but two of them must keep what they've been told a secret.

If you asked Grant, he would say he was over Daisy. It had been long enough, and he was happy enough just having her in his life. However, when he saw the emotion in her eyes when she realized that Lincoln was _alive_ and in her bed, his chest constricted.

“Are you okay?” Jemma asked softly, knowing the thoughts that were running through his head. “This is a shock to all of us.”

“She loves him, doesn’t she?” was all he asked as he sat down.

“Yes,” Jemma admitted. “When he sacrificed himself, she left SHIELD for awhile. We could never get to her. It wasn’t until she lost him that she realized that she loved him.”

Grant nodded. He knew the story of Lincoln’s sacrifice. It was a big reason Daisy had a hard time looking at him when he had first returned. It had been his body that had gone up with Lincoln, that had been the reason her first real love had died.

“I don’t feel like that anymore, about her,” Grant clarified. “But I used to. I guess there’s a small part of me that’s still hanging on. I want her to be happy, and if that’s being with him, that’s okay. I guess part of me is afraid that I’ll loose her to him. She’s one of the best things in my life. She always has been.”

“Hey,” Jemma rested a hand on his shoulder. She had tried keeping her distance from him, but seeing the look in his eyes, and knowing that her best friend seemed lighter once all the grief she had been holding was gone after talking to him, she let herself get to know him again. If he was making an effort, she felt like she needed to as well. “You have earned her trust back, and as long as you don’t do something to loose it, you won’t loose her. Yes, she may need time with Lincoln. But we’re a team. She does care about you. You and Hunter… you’re like the brothers she never had. She loves you in her own way.”

Grant sighed. “Rationally, I know that. It’s just… I’m finally adjusted to this life and I don’t want it ripped away from me. It’s nice having people to care about, that return the feeling.”

“We’re here for you,” Jemma squeezed his shoulder. “I understand your reaction to this. You did love her, and she cared about you. That’s not something you’re going to forget. Seeing her look at someone the way you used to look at her is not going to be easy. If you talk to her, I’m sure she’d understand. She wouldn’t want to hurt someone she cared about, even unintentionally.”

Grant forced a smile. “We’ll see how it goes.”

 

* * *

 

“Lincoln?” Daisy whispered from between her fingers, watching as Lincoln sat up. It had been so long since she last saw him, _truly_ saw him. “How are you here?”

Confusion passed across his face as he processed what was happening. Daisy watched his eyes widen as he pieced together what was going on.

He raised his hand to his face, turning it slowly as he watched the sparks dance from finger to finger. “How— The last thing I remember was being in space, accepting my fate.”

Daisy shook his head. “I don’t know. You’re not the first to return from the dead.” She hesitated, before sitting down next to him. “Grant is back, too.”

She didn’t know how he would take it. When she and Lincoln had still been only friends, she had entrusted him with the knowledge on how she had once felt about Grant Ward. Daisy didn’t want him to doubt her feelings for him, but knew she had to be honest.

Lincoln turned his head away, looking at the ground. “How are things between you two, after everything that happened?”

“Good… It took a long time for him to earn back everyone’s trust. You know, I couldn’t even look at him when he first arrived without wanting to hurt him,” she admitted. “I couldn’t, knowing the last time I saw him, or I guess his body, it was when you died.” She squeezed her eyes shut, fingers curling into a fist. “It hurt too much.”

It was at these words that Lincoln turned to look at her, taking her in. He had forgotten how beautiful she was, and almost immediately, his feelings for her came rushing back. He was gentle as he raised a hand towards her, gently brushing the pad of his finger across the new scar on her neck. She startled at the touch, before leaning into him, letting him trace the scar.

“How—” he began to ask.

“It’s a long story,” she replied as she opened her eyes, gaze coming to rest on the gloves she was wearing. She turned to look at him, their gazes locking. “I missed you,” she whispered. “I didn’t realize until I lost you how important you were— _are_ — to me.”

Lincoln’s eyes softened as he pulled her into a hug. “I missed you, too.”

 

* * *

 

A commotion in the kitchen had Jemma and Grant hurrying in that direction, each holding a gun out in front of them.

Piper, Hayden and May were already there, and judging by the footsteps coming down the hallway, the rest of the team was on the way.

“Who are you?” May demanded, her gun pressed against the head of the woman sitting calmly in the kitchen.

The woman turned to look at May. “I believe you’ve met two of my comrades. Enoch and Noah?”

“So you’re a chronicom,” Jemma lowered her gun. “Then what are you doing here?”

“My name is Tara. I’ve been sent to help you. I am the reason you have received two old teammates back from the dead.”

“So you brought me back,” Grant glanced at Tara.

“Yes,” she nodded.

“Wait, hold on,” May raised her hand as everyone else except Daisy arrived. “You said you brought back two. He’s one,” she gestured at Grant. “So who’s the second?”

“Lincoln Campbell.”

It was if a bomb had been dropped. Everyone glanced at each other, surprise painted on their faces. It was quiet as everyone, save for Jemma and Grant, processed the information.

“Does Daisy know?” Coulson asked.

“Yes,” Jemma responded. “He was next to her when she woke up. Grant and I heard her scream and rushed to help her. I was surprised to see him there. She should be with him now.”

Hayden watched with interest at the way Grant’s face shifted as Lincoln was brought up. She wasn’t his closest confident on the base, but she knew enough to know he had once been in love with Daisy. They all knew, and for the first couple weeks he was at the Lighthouse, it was obvious to see the way he looked at her. However, once they finally talked things out and went about to repair their friendship, it started to fade. He still looked at her with admiration, and everyone knew he cared about her the most of everyone on the team. He always would. Hayden knew that Daisy had been the first one to break through the walls he had built up, and even when he was on the side of Hydra, he tried to help her. It was clear that he still loved her, but it wasn’t romantic anymore. It was familial, if anything. She saw him as a brother, and he started treating her like she was his little sister. But with the return of Lincoln, Grant would be reminded of how he used to feel about her, and remember that she had once felt the same.

“Jemma, do you mind getting them?” Bobbi asked. “I think this is something we all need to discuss.”

The scientist nodded, hurrying out of the room, making her way towards Daisy’s room. She knocked on the door. “Daisy? Lincoln? The team would like to talk to you. We know how both of you,” she avoided names, “were brought back.”

A minute passed before Daisy responded. “We’ll be there in a minute.”

Jemma accepted her friend’s answer, retreating back to the kitchen. “They’re on the way,” was her answer to the questioning looks.

After Daisy responded to Jemma, she turned to look at Lincoln, who was standing in front of the mirror, looking at himself. He was only in a pair of old sweatpants, hair ruffled from sleep. “Hey,” she murmured as she stepped forward, leaning her head against his shoulder. “You ready to go face the rest of the team?”

“How many will I know?” he asked as he turned to embrace her, tucking his face into the crook of her neck.

“Bobbi, Hunter, Elena, Joey, May, Coulson, Fitz, Simmons, Mack and Grant. Then we have Piper, Deke and Hayden. Just to warn you, though. Elena lost her arms, and she now has robotic ones. Fitz and Simmons are married, and Deke is from the future. He’s also FitzSimmons’ grandson. Hayden and Piper are together, and Bobbi and Hunter are currently on. Elena and Mack are together, too.”

“And what about—” Lincoln hesitated, pulling his head away to look at Daisy, cheeks flushed. “I mean, I know I just got back, and a lot of things have changed. But I want— no, I _need_ to know—”

Daisy shook her head. “Grant is like my brother, just like Hunter. We’ve talked, and cleared the air. I don’t love him, and I don’t know if I ever did. I did care about him, but I don’t know if I could count it as love. And yes, he did love me, once. But it’s not like that anymore. I couldn’t get a hold on my feelings until I lost you. For months, I held onto the grief and guilt when I remembered our last conversation. I wasn’t able to return your words. It wasn’t until it was too late that I knew I wanted to.” She gently cupped his face, making small circles on his cheek with her thumb. “I never thought I would get to see you again. And now, here you are.”

“I’ll always be with you. Even though I have no idea what’s going on, I’m going to stick with you.”

She smiled up at him as she rose up on her toes. “I know you will. And I’ll always have your back.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek, smiling internally as his blush deepened. “Now, let’s go see the rest of the team.”

 

* * *

 

Fitz watched as Daisy entered the room, Lincoln behind her, their hands intertwined. Lincoln was wearing one of Daisy’s old, oversized shirts and a pair of sweatpants, and Daisy, even though it was still relatively early, was already wearing her gloves. She had taken to wearing them almost 24/7, usually only taking them off when she slept or took a shower.

“Guys,” Daisy turned to look at Deke, Hayden and Piper. “This is Lincoln. He was part of our team, back when we fought Hive. Elena and Joey were on a team with us. He’s an Inhuman, too.”

“Nice to see you again,” Fitz smiled. He had liked the Inhuman back when they had first met, though he was cautious, as Lincoln didn’t seem to know where he wanted to fit in. However, he stayed for Daisy. It reminded the scientist of Grant, as he too, had a weak spot for Daisy. He had watched Lincoln learn to work with the team, find his spot among them. It was good for them to have him on their side, as no one understood Inhuman biology better than him. When he had died, the whole team had mourned, though only Daisy took a step off the deep end.

Daisy was one of his best friends, and he hated that she was out there, without the team, grieving on her own. She was back, now, and had seemed to recover. Seeing her standing in front of the team, hand wrapped in Lincoln’s, Fitz realized that she had never fully recovered. He could see they wanted to catch up, figure out where they stood, but Daisy knew this conversation had to happen.

“Lincoln Campbell,” Tara looked at him. “Grant Ward. My name is Tara. I was assigned to bring you back, as with your help, we have a chance to stop the future. We have had to ensure allies rejoined the team, which is why Bobbi, Hunter, Piper and Hayden are here. We need to stop the Destroyer of Worlds from rising.”

Lincoln titled his head, curious when he noticed Daisy’s free hand clenching into a fist at Tara’s words. He would have to ask her later.

“Is there a way to destroy the chamber?” Coulson asked.

“To destroy it, it must be found first. You yourself cannot destroy it, Phillip Coulson. It must be Daisy Johnson, Lincoln Campbell, Elena Rodriguez and Joey Gutierrez. Your powers are needed to change the future.”

“Is there any other way?” Jemma asked, seeing that Daisy looked uneasy at the thought of using her powers, especially so close to the chamber.

“Not to destroy the chamber,” Tara shook her head. “We have studied the events that lead to the future meticulously, and have come to the conclusion that only Inhumans can destroy it, and only you four, together.”

Fitz glanced over at where Lincoln and Daisy were standing together. He would have to have a talk with their recently returned teammate.

“Why did you bring Grant back first?” Hayden asked, curious. She had her arm wrapped around her girlfriend’s waist as they listened to the conversation. 

“He had much more trust to earn back. Lincoln had been loyal to your team at the end, and his sacrifice proved that. We knew you would accept him back easier, but after what Grant did, you would need to learn to trust him. It was decided that he would return first.”

Bobbi nodded at the logic. “Is there any information that might help us find the chamber? Or anything else you might know that may be helpful?”

Tara shook her head. “We took a risk, bringing both Lincoln and Grant back. We hope that with them, Bobbi, Hunter, Piper and Hayden, you will be able to change the future. I can’t stay very long, but I would like to talk with Daisy Johnson and Leopold Fitz. There is something they must know. Then, I will be on my way.”

The team glanced at Daisy and Fitz, before hesitantly clearing the room. Lincoln and Elena were the last to leave, Elena having to convince Lincoln to leave Daisy. Since she had once been on a smaller team with him, it seemed right that she would be there for him. He would trust her more than most of the team. As well, YoYo knew Daisy well, and hopefully could convince Lincoln she’d be fine.

Daisy and Fitz stood next to each other as Tara began to talk.

“This is for your ears only. The rest of the team cannot know until you have recovered all the information. You two have been chosen for specific reasons. Daisy, due to your skills with computers, and Leopold, because of your close connection. You must find your way into Hale’s databases. They have information that once belonged to Aida, or how she liked to refer to herself, Madame Hydra.”

Fitz’s face went pale, and Daisy gently nudged her shoulder against his, letting him know he wasn’t alone.

“A sliver of her consciousness survived, though it is not strong enough to do any damage. However, her research is in Hale’s databases, and you must find it. She was able to find information on Whitehall and his plans, but it is hidden. Daisy, you know how to break into databases. And Leopold, you know how Madame Hydra’s mind worked better than anyone. You two must find the information and find that chamber before anyone can enter it. Only once you have found the location and have a plan to destroy it, can you tell the others.”

“Why do we have to keep this a secret?” Daisy asked as she readjusted her gloves.

“We cannot let anyone know what you are doing. I know both of you two have your doubts and insecurities about yourselves. You both feel as if you are not ready for field work yet, despite your one mission,” she turned to look at Daisy. “If you don’t go out in the field, no one can get to you. The others, though, could be a risk. We don’t want anyone to have information that the enemy can get out of them. And yes, I am aware of Jemma Simmons’ condition. However, we must be safe.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Daisy admitted. “Okay, I’m in. If we can keep anyone from entering that chamber, I’ll do it.”

Fitz hesitated, looking at his friend. The look on her face, and the sight of the gloves on her arms were what he needed to steal his resolve. “Me too.”

“Good,” Tara nodded. “I trust you will get to work on this immediately. Here is something that may help you.” She pulled a small device out of her pocket, pressing it into Daisy’s hand. “Keep it safe, and don’t let anyone else look at the contents.The part you two will play in saving the world is very important. We also have someone on the inside on Hale’s side who will help you once the time comes. However, she must stay there for now, playing her part. You will know when it is time to bring her back.”

Daisy and Fitz exchanged a look. They were both wondering who Tara had placed on Hale’s base, but knew that they would find out soon. Silently, they agreed that the minute Tara was done talking to them, they’d be holing up in Daisy’s room to look at the device. It was one of the only places they knew no one else would walk into as long as the door was locked.

“I must go now. Good luck, Daisy Johnson and Leopold Fitz. The world is counting on you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Fitz and Daisy have a secret they need to keep. How will this affect their bonds with their newly returned teammates? 
> 
> I know not everyone is a fan of StaticQuake, but I personally really like them. However, though there will be a few scenes that are between them, it is not the focus of the story. None of the romantic relationships are, though FitzSimmons will be the most important one.
> 
> For those of you who are big SkyeWard fans, there will be more scenes between them, though they will NOT be romantic.
> 
> When it comes down to it, they are all teammates, and must trust each other, no matter what their history is with each other. After all, the fate of the world is at stake.
> 
> Until next time! (my next update day is my first day free of school, so I may or may not post. Then, I will be on vacation until the end of May, but I'll update when I can, as I enjoy writing in my free time. Feel free to say hi to me on my social media accounts! The information is in my profile. Also feel free to leave prompts!)


	12. Clairvoyant and Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitz and Daisy look into the information Tara gave them, and Lincoln and Grant adjust to the new way of life in the Lighthouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AOS is getting a season 6!

As soon as Tara left, Fitz and Daisy sped out of the room, heading towards Daisy’s room. They ignored the curious looks and questions from their teammates, only stopping when the door was locked behind them.

Fitz sat down on the bed, holding onto the small device as Daisy grabbed her laptop. She sat next to him, putting in her information.

“You ready to see what’s on there?” Daisy looked at the device.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Fitz handed it over.

Daisy plugged it in, both of them watching anxiously as it opened. There were multiple documents, which they began to sift through.

“There,” Fitz pointed at a document that looked promising, entitled _The Clairvoyant._

Daisy clicked on it, and they watched with bated breath to see what opened up. After a few long seconds, it finished loading.

“Does anyone stay where they’re supposed to?” Fitz muttered as he turned away from the screen, running a hand through his hair.

“Apparently not,” Daisy replied as she stared at the screen, where a photo, along with some other information on the Clairvoyant was. Right above the details of an extraction plan was her name.

Tess.

 

* * *

 

“Do we have any idea on how she got here?” Daisy asked as she nervously tapped her fingers on her leg. “She should’ve been safe. She wasn’t near us when we were brought back, not like Deke was.”

Fitz shook his head. “I have no idea. Maybe there’s more information in the file?”

Daisy opened up the only other document in the file, skimming past the basic information on Tess that she already knew.

“There,” Fitz pointed, leaning over her shoulder. He was pointing at a small paragraph, barely four sentences long at the bottom of the page. He read it quickly, taking in the information.

 

_Tess was brought to the past in order to gather intel on Hydra and General Hale. She will pretend to be a clairvoyant, feeding information to Hale from the future she knows, and what E-23c (Tara) tells her. Tara herself brought Tess to the past, and will make sure former SHIELD agents Daisy Johnson, formerly Skye, daughter of Cal and Jiaying; and Leopold Fitz, husband to Jemma Simmons and grandfather of Deke Shaw, are alerted of the situation. Using their knowledge, they will find the chamber, and also extract Tess when the time is right._

 

“There’s the extraction plan,” Daisy scrolled up. “In one week, we’re set to break her out. How do they expect us to keep breaking in and out of the compound without getting caught? We’ve already done it _three_ times. Hale will be watching for us. She’s seen us all.”

“Not all of us,” Fitz hesitated. “Unless Tess has been told to tell Hale, she won’t know that Lincoln is back. If we pair him up with someone, maybe it’ll work. Maybe May? She hasn’t been on an extraction team yet.”

Daisy sighed heavily. “Let’s worry about how we’re going to get her out later. We have a lot more information to sift through.”

Fitz allowed her to change the subject as they shifted, getting comfortable.

They spent the next few hours scrolling through all the documents, taking notes on what they might need. They also looked through other databases, trying to figure out where the chamber might be. However, for the time being, they avoided looking into Madam Hydra. They knew they would have to, but they wanted to push it off for as long as possible.

Fitz made sure to keep distance between himself and Daisy. Even though they were getting closer again, and would be, especially now that they had to work on this together, there was still progress to be made.

It was quiet, save for Fitz’s pen scribbling across paper, and Daisy’s fingers flying across the keyboard, the occasional sigh pushing past their lips.

“So,” Fitz broke the silence thirty minutes later. “Lincoln’s back.”

“Yeah, he is.” Daisy didn’t look up from the screen, choosing to keep a laser focus on the words and images in front of her.

“How do you feel about it?”

“It still hasn’t fully sunk in,” she shrugged one of her shoulders. “And I know anyone brought back from the dead won’t be the same. But I know I loved him. I just… need time to process.”

“Then let’s focus on this,” Fitz gestured towards the laptop. “Jemma, Elena and Joey will make sure Lincoln’s okay.”

“Thanks,” Daisy smiled, glancing quickly up at him. She knew most of the team would be encouraging her to talk to Lincoln, but right now, she just wanted to focus on one thing at a time. Lincoln had just appeared, but they’d been working on saving the world for much longer. She wanted to get one thing done first.

The end of the world had a strict deadline. Lincoln didn’t.

She was thankful that Fitz understood.

 

* * *

By the time Fitz and Daisy decided to call it a night, it was half past three in the morning. Fitz quietly slipped out, heading for his and Jemma’s room, moving quietly so as not to wake her up.

Daisy quickly changed into pajamas, throwing her hair up. She turned the lights out, before sliding into bed, her laptop charging next to the bed.

She let her mind wander to wonder about what Lincoln was doing and thinking, hoping that one of her teammates found him a place to sleep. Part of her wanted to curl up to him, let her worries wash away. But she needed distance to think things through, and she fell asleep alone.

 

* * *

 

Jemma smiled when Lincoln walked into the kitchen, blearily rubbing his eyes. “Did you get a good night’s sleep?”

“Yeah, good enough,” he yawned. “Who knew being dead would make you so tired?” He grabbed a cup of coffee, sitting down at the table as Jemma placed a muffin in front of her. “Thanks. Hey, have you seen Daisy yet? Or is she still sleeping?”

“I have not seen her, but if I was to guess, she’s probably with Fitz,” Jemma responded from her place near the counter as she prepared her tea. “They picked a room in an area of the Lighthouse we don’t often go to, as there’s no need. He headed that way about half an hour before you got here.”

Lincoln’s face fell, but he hid it by taking a bite of the muffin.

“I assume you want to talk with her and get caught up?” Jemma asked as she sat down next to him. “I can fill you in on the big events, if you’d like. A lot has happened.”

“That would be nice. Thanks,” Lincoln smiled.

 

* * *

Grant focused on woman in front of him, ducking out of the way as Bobbi’s leg came at him, hoping to knock him backwards.

They had been sparing for the past half hour, and it was helping Grant keep his mind from wandering. He wanted to be focused on getting back into shape, especially since Daisy had told him a few days ago, before Lincoln’s return, that she would let him out on a mission once he was back up to code.

The Inhumans were taking to training with each other, and May could often be seen training with Hayden or Mack. Piper was taking it easy, and Hunter was working with Deke, trying to get the latter trained enough.

Bobbi seemed to have no qualms fighting with Grant, and they could often be seen sparring for up to an hour at a time, extreme concentration on their faces, the only sound being their breathing, or the hits they landed on each other.

Bobbi gave a nod of approval when Grant landed a good hit on her, before proceeding to flip him onto his back. “What’s with this sudden drive?” she asked as she pulled him up. “Does this have something to do with Lincoln returning?” She turned to grab a bottle of water, tossing one over to him.

He nodded in thanks, taking a sip as he watched Bobbi wipe the sweat off her forehead. “What’s with everyone’s sudden fasciation with him?” he grumbled, before wiping the emotions off of his face. He may be making improvements, but he still wasn't ready to express his thoughts to most people.

Bobbi shrugged. “I mean, he is back from the dead. Plus, he’s an Inhuman who sacrificed himself to defeat Hive, and it was his death that brought forth Quake.”

Grant stayed silent as he helped Bobbi put their equipment away.

“Everything will work out,” Bobbi patted him on the shoulder. “We’ll save the future, and everything will work out between everyone.”

Grant nodded as he watched her leave. Deciding it would be best for him to take a shower, he headed back to his room, glancing in the common room on his way.

Hayden and Piper were curled up, talking with Hunter and Joey. They waved at him, before going back to their conversation.

After a quick, awkward smile, he continued on his way, ignoring most of the other Lighthouse inhabitants gathered around the kitchen. He was relieved when he didn’t see Lincoln, as he wasn’t in the mood to talk to the new arrival. Grant never had the chance to get to know the Inhuman doctor, and if he could avoid it, Grant wanted to leave it that way. He didn’t need to get to know someone new.

* * *

 

**Two Days Later…**

Lincoln sat on Daisy’s bed, watching electricity pass between his fingers.

He was waiting for her to return. She and Fitz had locked themselves in a room a few hours ago, secretive looks on their faces, with only a laptop, notebook and two sandwiches with them. They had taken to spending more time together to work out whatever information Tara had given them that they were keeping to themselves.

Though Lincoln was glad got see Daisy getting along with Fitz again (Jemma had told him the story, as well as about the gloves), he wanted to talk with her. After all, he had been dead, and now he was back. In the few short hours before Tara pulled her and Fitz aside, she seemed to not want to let him out of her sight. But now, he had barely seen her in the past three days, save for watching her duck in and out of the room she and Fitz were using for research.

Sighing, Lincoln collapsed onto his back, pulling Daisy’s blanket over him.

“You okay?” a voice asked from the doorway, stilted as if he was surprised he had said anything.

Lincoln was surprised got see Grant Ward, trying to appear casual and indifferent as he leaned against the doorframe. The Inhuman put a guard up. He hadn’t talked to Grant since he returned to life, and wasn’t in a rush to. The last time he had seen him was when Hive was in his body, both of them going up into space to die. As well, Lincoln knew what Grant had done in his past life, and wasn’t willing to trust the other man so easily. But he had spent the past couple months with Daisy.

“Just waiting for Daisy,” he replied, watching Grant carefully.

Grant kept his face still as he looked at Lincoln. “It’s a shock to the system to suddenly be alive again, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Neither of them was willing to open up to the other much, but they were the only ones who could understand what it was like to be brought back to the dead and thrust into a mission to prevent the future. They were both conscious of the fact that Coulson had been dead once, but his resurrection had been different from theirs.

“Well,” Grant glanced down the hallway, hoping to find someone to use as an excuse to leave. “I’ll leave it to you, I guess. Um…” he thought through what he was about to say. “I know we don’t know each other and I know about the last time both our bodies were together,” he scrunched up his nose, noting how weird it sounded. “But if you want to talk about being brought back or whatever, I’m just next door.” He gestured with his thumb to the room on the left. “Or Fitz and Simmons are on the other side. Their science reasoning might help. Okay,” he looked awkward as he pushed himself off of the doorframe. “Good talk.”

He left without another word, not looking back as he ducked into his room, eyes pressed tightly shut. Grant had not been expecting to have a semi-heartfelt conversation with anyone, let alone Lincoln. But being around the team again was helping him loosen up, and it seemed right in the moment.

“Yeah, not again,” he murmured to himself. That had been enough emotional vulnerability for him for the day. He had only been open to Daisy recently, and occasionally Jemma. He was fine only going to them.

Deciding he wanted time to himself, Grant grabbed one of the many books Jemma told him he had to read, and sat on his bed.

Might as well work on getting caught up on what he missed.

 

* * *

 

Lincoln didn’t leave Daisy’s room all day.

He flipped through the books she had, and watched movies and tv episodes he had missed on the tablet he had been given. Elena had brought him lunch, and he ate it without tasting as he watched _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them._ Only when it reached midnight, and he had gone through two movies, four episodes and a quarter of a book, did he resign himself to the fact that Daisy would either be returning late, or not at all that night.

He knew he should probably make his way back to his room; it was across from Elena and Mack’s, next to Bobbi and Hunter’s, and on the other side end of the hallway. However, he was comfortable, and curled up tighter in Daisy’s blanket, falling asleep to the sounds of _Stranger Things._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not updating in awhile. I had the end of the school year, and I'm currently on vacation in Italy. I'm trying to keep to the update schedule as much as possible. 
> 
> I know I have written much of Coulson and May in particular, but I'm trying to write them in more. If you have any ideas, or anything you want to see for any of the characters, feel free to let me know!
> 
> Also, as a side note: I have a B-99 story in the works if you're interested.


	13. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team prepares for their next extraction, and Hale makes a decision regarding Ruby.

Jemma sighed as she walked into the common room, spotting Daisy curled up on one end of the sofa, fast asleep. Fitz was at the other end, pen scribbles all over his one hand from the pen dangling in the other. 

They had been working hard, rarely getting any sleep. They had set up camp in what they were calling their “Research Room,” a few pillows and blankets neatly stacked in the corner if they needed them.

It had been six days since Tara and Lincoln had appeared, and though Jemma was glad her two favorite people were getting along again, it was weird not having them around. Everyone was quieter, as they didn’t have Fitz’s sarcastic quips or Daisy’s unabashed laughter to break through the silence.

While the rest of the team waited anxiously to hear what the two were finding, they were doing whatever they could in order to be prepared.

May, Hayden, Bobbi and Grant spent the most time in the training room, at all hours of the day. Mack often hung around with Jemma and Piper, the three of them making sure the medical room was stocked, and that they had enough bullets for the night-night guns. Hunter spent a lot of time with Deke, training one on one, and making sure that Deke was all caught up with their time period. Coulson was often researching Hale, Whitehall, and the “Destroyer of Worlds” project with the help of May. Lincoln was the most closed off, but he could often be seen with Joey and Elena, the three Inhumans drawn together. They hadn’t been a team for awhile, and they wanted to make sure they were back in sync. Since Daisy wasn’t around much, Elena became the defacto leader, taking it upon her self to make sure their team, the Inhuman team, was ready to fight.

She was a good leader, her time with SHIELD allowing her to ensure the team ran smoothly. She and Joey already had a rhythm, and a bond forged by their heritage. And even though Daisy wasn’t around as much, she was still part of the team, still one of them. When she had the chance, she’d be their leader again, because they all agreed she had the most experience. However, Elena was using this time to get the team back to where they were before, to make them better.

She had to work the most with Lincoln, as he hadn’t fought with them in a long time. She hadn’t been as close to him as she was with Daisy and Joey, and she knew Joey felt the same. The reason they all got along before was because of Daisy.

“Lincoln, you have got to get your self focused,” Elena sighed. “I know this is difficult, and you’re still getting adjusted to being back, but the _fate of the world_ is at stake. This is not the time to slack off.”

She knew she was being a little harsh, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She had a responsibility to make sure her team was ready to fight, and she was taking it seriously.

It was her first big responsibility since she was deemed fully recovered, and even though Mack was still a little anxious about it, they all knew she was the best person for the job.

“I know, I know,” Lincoln tried not to snap, knowing she was just trying to get him prepared. But he was on edge. The first time he had been alive, and worked with SHIELD, the only one he truly trusted had been Daisy. The others set him on edge, mostly because he didn’t know them. Eventually, he was able to come to trust Joey and Elena when out on missions, and he respected their other teammates.

But in the time he had been gone, too much had happened with the team, forging and breaking bonds that had once stood. He didn’t fit in with them, not that he ever felt like he ever did. He was an outsider, and something in the pit of his stomach bristled when he realized that not even _Grant Ward_ , once traitor, fit in better than he did.

“Then act like it,” Elena requested, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. Tensions were running high as the end of the world as they knew it drew closer. “We’re going to try this again, and keep working at it until we get it right. Joey?” She turned to her other teammate, who had stepped away to wipe the sweat off of his face. “You ready?”

“ _Por supuesto_ ,” he grinned. He made his way over to them. Though training was tiring, he relished in the feeling. He may have enjoyed his time away from SHIELD, but part of him had been itching to get back in the field, to use his gifts for good.

Elena nodded at him, grateful that he could sense the tension and diffused it as quickly and covertly as possible. It was nice for her to have a teammate that understood how serious everything was.

It wasn’t that she had anything against Lincoln. But the rest of them knew more, had seen more than him. Even those who hadn’t actually seen the future (Hayden, Piper, Bobbi, Hunter, Joey, Grant) understood the severity of the situation. Lincoln hadn’t been part of the team as long as they had, and even when he had been alive the first time, he had been more wary of SHIELD than anyone else.

She couldn’t blame him, not really. He had entered their world at a time where many organizations had been searching for Inhumans, and his safe place had been destroyed.

But right now, they had to set personal differences aside and work together. If they managed to save the world, they’d have plenty of time later to deal with inter-team issues.

 

* * *

 

The following morning, at six-thirty, Daisy and Fitz emerged from the Research Room, with tired, but determined looks on their face. They gathered everyone in the common room, ready to brief them on all their discoveries.

“We have spent the past week gathering intel based off of what Tara provided us with, including information on the Clairvoyant,” Fitz paced back and forth as he talked.

“The Clairvoyant is not someone to fear. Actually, she is someone to trust. All of us that spent time in the future know her,” Daisy pulled out packets of information from the folder in her hands, passing them out to her teammates.

“Tess,” Deke was the first to speak up after flipping through his packet. “How—”

“She was brought back in order to gather intel on Hydra and Hale,” Fitz began explaining. “She had to pretend to be a clairvoyant, feeing information to Hale from the future that she knew, and what Tara told her.”

“Now, Tara was clear that only the two of us were allowed to know this information until it was time to extract Tess, due some… delicate information, that we still can’t share with you.” By this point, Daisy was perched on the end of the couch, sitting next to Bobbi.

“Did Tara tell you why we aren’t allowed to know?” Hunter asked.

“She knows neither of us will go out in the field anytime soon, but the rest of you may. In order to keep what we know a complete secret, we can’t risk telling you, and then Hale or Hydra capturing you for it. What we know will help us save the future.”

“We need this chance. It’s the best one we have.” 

Everyone looked solemn at Fitz’s words, noting how serious this was.

“What do you need us to do?” May broke the silence. 

“It’s time to get Tess out of there.”

 

* * *

“This is ridiculous,” Piper rolled her eyes as she handed May a gun. “How many times are we going to have to do this?”

“You’re not wrong,” Hayden agreed with her girlfriend. “We’ve already broken in three times. It only gets riskier each time.”

“We’ll be fine, as long as you keep everything in order here,” May tucked the gun into her waistband.

“You can count on it,” Daisy nodded. She and Fitz were running the operation, as they were the ones with all the information. While they monitored the extraction with the help of Hayden, another team would be the ones actually breaking Tess out.

May, Elena, Joey and Grant had volunteered. Elena had also suggested brining Lincoln as backup, since Hale wouldn’t be expecting him. Though he was hesitant, Lincoln eventually agreed, knowing that with his powers, he could help them out.

The group gathered together as the set up their plan, setting up teams. It had been easy for them to agree that if Lincoln was called out, that Elena would make the calls, and he would need to listen. She had more recent experience, with both missions and fighting, and being an Inhuman. After all, until Daisy felt ready to go back into the field, Elena was the leader of the team. She was the best one for the job.

When they asked Lincoln if he had any ideas, he had hesitantly suggested bringing Deke with them, so that Tess would have a familiar face. The rest of them agreed, and brought Deke into their meetings to plan.

It had been easy to get him to agree to being on the op, but when deciding what his role would be, it had been harder. Eventually, Deke had agreed, albeit with a lot of eye rolling and sarcastic quips, to stick with Lincoln in the van unless needed. The other four (Elena, May, Grant, and Joey) were divided into pairs, one Inhuman on each team.

Elena was paired up with Grant, and Joey with May. It had taken many discussions of talking through the pros and cons to finally figure out the groups, but they were satisfied with how it turned out.

The four who had volunteered had agreed that neither of Lincoln or Deke would be called into action unless it was necessary. They were still a little wary of Deke being fully prepared, and they wanted to keep Lincoln’s return a secret as long as possible from Hale. It was one of the only things they had on their side that she didn’t know about.

Mack, Coulson, Bobbi and Hunter, meanwhile, would be out on another mission. Jemma and Piper would be monitoring their mission. With the information Fitz and Daisy were able to share, the team would be searching a building that was known to belong to Hydra. There were a few digital files they need. 

Both Fitz and Daisy refused to even hint at what the documents held, and knew that their teammates wouldn’t be able to find out. The way they were encrypted would be impossible for the rest of them to break without Daisy’s skills, and little clues that Fitz had.

The two friends knew that the files held information that AIDA once held, and that the last shred of her consciousness would be there as well. It was a risk, but if they could get the information without disturbing Madame Hydra, they hoped they could find the location of the chamber, so they could begin to plan how to destroy it.

The anger at Whitehall and Hale burned in Daisy’s stomach, the hatred bubbling just under the surface. It was because of them that she had started to hate herself and her powers, that kept her away from the field and her team, some of the only things that still made sense to her. She hated the future she had seen, and hated her legacy. When she joined SHIELD all those years ago, she wanted to do good, and for at least some people to remember her as a good person when she died, her name joining Agent Avery’s on the Wall of Valor. Instead, she was remembered for death and destruction, the very thing she had been terrified of when she discovered what her powers entailed.

When the hatred got to be too much, Fitz would spar with her, even though he was the least versed with sparring of the whole team. He knew how much she needed it, and even though they still hit snags in their friendship, like when Daisy ran her hand over the scar on her neck absentmindedly and Fitz just froze, they trusted each other.

On the few occasions that Fitz was engrossed in his work when the anger started to become too much for Daisy, she would find Bobbi, and the two would spar for as long as they could, not saying anything. Bobbi understood the anger, had once felt anger almost as deep. She knew how dangerous it could be, and paired with Daisy’s powers, it wouldn’t be good if released.

It was unusual, watching Daisy start pulling away from most of the team, as she was usually the one arranging team bonding events, like movie nights.

They passed it off as her working hard with Fitz on the information Tara gave them, but as time passed, they could all see it was more than that.

Besides Fitz, nowadays she only opened up around Jemma and Bobbi. It was strange for everyone, as she viewed the team as her family. But they couldn’t understand what she was feeling. They weren’t the ones to doom the future.

So though they hated it, they let her be. Because even though she really only talked to three people nowadays, her newfound friendship with Grant and her love for them all pushed aside for the time being, it was better than nothing.

 

* * *

Ruby rolled her eyes as she was escorted out of her room by guards, who led her to the training room. “Mother.”

“Ruby,” General Hale dismissed all but two of the guards, who took up their spot outside the door. “You are doing well in training, but there is still work to be done before you can claim your destiny. I believe there are too many distractions here, so you will be moving to a different facility. Your guards will go with you, and you will spend your time training, both physically and mentally. Once you are ready, I will come get you. Is that clear?”

Ruby simply stared at her mother, arms crossed over her chest. After a few beats of silence, she finally spoke. “I’m guessing I don’t get a say in this?”

“No, you don’t,” Hale stood up. “This is your mission. You must see it through. This is what you were born for.”

* * *

“They will be coming for you in two days time,” Tara got to the point quickly as she sat down on the bed next to Tess. “You must be careful,” the chronicom warned. “There is danger on the horizon. As we speak, Hale is planning her next move. If her plan succeeds, blood will be spilled. As it is, this will not be a quick and easy fight.”

Tess nodded.

“This will likely be the last time we see each other. I want to thank you for playing your part well. Your time here is nearly over. However, you are still very important. There will be times when the others will need you to step in, lend an outside perspective. They have been together, only them for long enough. There are still tensions and uneasiness, and you will help keep them together. Without you, it is very likely they will split into factions, and if that happens, the future you know will prevail.”

“I understand.” Tess was truthful. Tara had filled her in on where the team stood with each other, so she would be prepared. 

“Take this with you,” Tara pulled a small metal box out of her pocket, pressing into the girl’s hand. “You will know when to open it.”

Tess tucked it carefully into the pocket of her sweatshirt.

“I am sorry we had to drag you into this mess. But know you are doing what is right for humankind.”

“I know. Thank you for trusting me with this.” 

“There was no one more suited for the task,” Tara smiled at the girl, before standing up, ready to take her leave. “I wish you well, Tess Alvarez, Teller of Truths.”

 

* * *

Though he found his spot alongside the team, and there seemed to be no hard feelings left from anyone (except Lincoln, but that was different), Grant still felt out of place.

He had gotten used to Daisy’s presence, and once he patched things up with her, she had been his constant. She helped him feel comfortable with the team again, and had helped him find a way to bond with each person on the base without feeling overwhelmed.

And sure, in some ways, it was refreshing to be with the others. He knew he couldn’t depend on Daisy the rest of his life, and that the team would be good allies. He had spent so much time with Daisy that he forgot the sarcastic quips Jemma sometimes muttered under her breath while working in the lab, or how strong Bobbi was, or how Hunter always seemed childish, but was a tough fighter and fierce ally to those who earned his trust.

It was nice getting to know them again, and the tentative friendships made life easier. But on the days where old memories wouldn’t stop swirling through his mind, he wanted to escape into the comfortable friendship he had with Daisy.

Grant went looking for her, four days into the week long absence, finding her sitting with her back to the door of the “Research Room.” He almost walked in, but stopped when he spotted her looking at a picture of a woman, one that seemed vaguely familiar, like he had seen her before in a previous life.

Then it hit him. It was Agent Avery.

Grant could remember when he had shown her the Wall of Valor, back in his first life, when things had been easier. He remembered standing a little ways away as he watched her run her fingers over the name she had been looking for, of the woman who died for her.

It was in that moment he knew how great of an agent Daisy (then Skye) would be.

With his lips pressed together in a small frown, he left her to look at the photo.

He had an idea.

 

* * *

Daisy had been taking to looking at the one photo of Agent Avery she had.

Ever since they returned from the future, she had been more drawn to the photo.

She remembered when she had still be Skye, and her biggest concern was figuring out where she came from. At one point, she had believed that Agent Avery could’ve been her mother. Part of her had been disappointed when it turned out she wasn’t, but at the same time, it had given her hope that her real mother was out there, somewhere.

And then she met Jiaying and for a little while, everything felt right.

Then everything went to hell, and her parents were crazy and though she loved her team, she wished she could’ve been given a normal life, with normal parents.

Sure, Coulson and May were more like parents to her than anything, but it felt different to her. She loved them, and always would, but they had gone through a lot together before she allowed herself to feel that way about them.

Agent Avery hadn’t known her, but gave up everything for her.

To Daisy, Agent Avery was everything she had wanted in a mother, and though they weren’t family, and would never get a chance to get to know each other, the Inhuman didn’t want the agent’s death to be in vain. Agent Avery had died to ensure Daisy survived, and that she stayed safe when she was in the system, and Daisy didn’t want to ever forget that sacrifice.

She needed to save the world to live up the hopes and expectations the agent had for the baby girl she had given her life for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that it's been over a month since I last updated this story, and I apologize for that. I've been busy with life, and have had writer's block. In order to try and stick to my updating schedule, I'm changing it. Instead of twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays), I'm going to try to update every Saturday. I hope this makes it easy for me to stick to the schedule.
> 
> That said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, feel free to leave ideas, prompts etc either in the comments, or find me on social media (accounts in profile).
> 
> Until next time!


	14. Because Nothing Ever Goes as Planned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team sets off on their quests, and Ruby is being trained to fulfill her destiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like we needed a little more Ruby in this story.

Ruby glared out the window, ignoring one of the guard’s attempts to start a conversation.

She had been in the armored car for the past half hour with four of her guards, the others in cars either ahead or behind them, ready to protect her if it came to it.

The blonde wasn’t sure where her mother was sending her, but she was not looking forward to it. Ever since she turned twelve, she had been hearing what her so-called “destiny” was, the reason she was born.

Apparently, the time was coming near, but despite everything she had done, Ruby was _still_ not ready. She had been pushed her whole life to be the best, to prove she could handle anything, that she was worthy of her “birthright.” She was enrolled at the HYDRA academy, and her only friend had been her dog. She had been pushed to the breaking point, sometimes past, and still, she wasn’t good enough.

She was kept under lock and key, mother watching her closely to make sure she didn’t step out of line. Ruby was thankful that she had been allowed privacy in her room, but that’s all the freedom she got. 

And now she wouldn’t even have that, as when she had packed to leave, headed towards the unknown location, she was only allowed to bring the essentials, and her iPhone (which was only capable of playing music) because she had bargained her way into keeping it. She had bested Strucker and Creel again when they sparred, and it had been enough to earn her her music.

She put her earbuds in, purposefully turning the music all the way up so as to drown out the noise of the chatting guards.

It was going to be a long trip.

 

* * *

Hunter fiddled with his gun, making sure everything was up to his standards, before tucking it away. He grabbed one of the small devices Fitz had designed that would store the files.

He had been curious as to why Fitz had to design a new device, why they couldn't use one that had already been made. The only response he got was: “This information is too complex for a normal drive.”

The slightly terrified, mostly determined and angry look on Fitz’s face, and the barely noticeable look of sympathy on Daisy’s aimed at the scientist. was enough to get Hunter to drop the matter for the time being. 

Whatever they were being sent to retrieve was not only important, but if the looks on his friends’ faces were anything to go by, dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands. Hunter had seen all of the team at bad times, but he hadn’t seen Fitz look that way _ever._ He had seen small flickers when he heard stories from when he and Bobbi were away, when they were told about the Framework, or the Fear Dimension.

But this was different, real. Like Fitz was facing his worst nightmare head-on, and this time, he was determined to come out on top.

 

* * *

Ruby squeezed her eyes shut as she fell to the ground, jaw aching from the punch that knocked her down. She could tasted the blood in her mouth, and knew a bruise was already forming on her pale skin.

“You’re not working hard enough,” a male voice sneered from above her. “You’re pathetic. Why you’re the chosen one, I have no idea.”

Glaring, Ruby pushed herself up, trying not to wince from the pain in her head, and coming from her side. Spitting blood out of her mouth, she looked up at the man. “Go to hell.”

“That’s the best you can come up with?” he laughed cruelly. “I’m only here because your mother is paying me well to make sure you can handle what’s coming your way. I’m allowed free reign to train you how I see fit.” He swiped the arm that was supporting her out from under her with his leg, watching as she fell back down onto the mat. “Now, get cleaned up. Time to work on your mental training. And trust me, Brunner will be nowhere near as nice as me.”

 

* * *

Ruby collapsed, nearly unconscious on her bed at half past three in the morning, exhausted from the past fourteen hours of brutal training. She wanted desperately to go to sleep, knowing she would have to be up in four hours. Her schedule was strict, especially her down time, which amounted to a few hours of sleep, and forty-five minutes of freedom.

The hard training started after lunch, but she was still expected to get things done beforehand.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to it. Though she knew her muscles would be sore in the morning, she wouldn’t back down. If anything, she’d be working harder to prove herself, to catch her “trainers” off guard.It was a usual routine. She had always been pushed to work hard, and had had many sleepless nights, and hard days.

But she was starting to wonder if her so called “destiny” was worth it.

 

* * *

Deke was fidgeting as he sat next to Lincoln, the two of them listening to their coms, and watching their team through cameras.

“Aren’t you tired of sitting here, pushed to the side?”

Lincoln didn’t look up. “I’m not ready to be back in the field yet,” he replied, shrugging on shoulder as he watched Elena. “If I’m not ready, I shouldn’t be out there.” After a pause, the Inhuman turned away from the screen to glance over at his companion. “I’m guessing you want to be out there?”

Deke blew air through his teeth, sounding frustrated. “Like, I get I don’t have as much training in whatever you guys do. But I had to fight to survive back home. It’s not like I can’t do anything. And this is Tess. She’s one of my friends.”

“Yeah, well,” Lincoln turned back to the screen. “Not even friends are forever,” he muttered bitterly under his breath.

“Okay,” Deke dragged the word out as a frown found its way onto his face. “Not feeling overly happy with the team, are you?”

“I don’t fit in with them. Never really have. The only reason I stayed with SHIELD the first time was because of Daisy. And now the team is different, with people I didn’t know, and as much as I might not have fit in the first time, it’s worse now. I mean, no offense, but even _you_ fit in better.”

“Nah, no offense taken, dude,” Deke waved it off. He was silent for a minute as he listened to Elena’s voice through the coms ( _I’m going to check it out,_ referring to an unmarked door that was revealed to lead to a secret tunnel). “You think they’ll be okay?”

Lincoln’s shoulders relaxed, the tension leaving as the subject was changed. He hadn’t expected to reveal his feelings to someone he barely knew. “They’re good at what they do.” It wasn’t really an answer, but it was the best he could offer.

 

* * *

At first, things had gone well.

Joey, May, Elena and Grant made it safely through the door, making their way into the dimly lit tunnel, the light only bright enough to keep them from tripping over the wires on the floor.

The two Inhumans staked out the next twenty yards, returning when they were sure it was safe. Meanwhile, Grant and May had been discussing the mission while guarding the door, guns out at the ready in case someone unexpected stepped in.

They made down the tunnel with not much problem, Daisy taking note of the wires.

It was only when they reached the end did they run into trouble.

“Cover your noses and mouths, _now_ ,” Daisy ordered as she watched a pipe near the ceiling begin to dispel gas. “If that’s what Mack and I ran into, it’s not inherently dangerous, but it’ll keep you from knowing what’s going on around you.”

Fitz saw how her fingers froze on the keyboard, before she returned to searching the hard drive that Tara had given them. He knew it had something to do with the memory of the gas their teammates were running into, but no one besides Daisy and Mack knew what the gas did, what it did to them. All the team knew was that what they had seen had shaken them.

“Hayden,” Fitz called over to the other woman who was helping them. “Can you check in with the other group, let us know what’s going on?”

“Yeah, I was just about to get up anyways,” she replied as she stood, stretching her arms above her head. “Be back in a few.”

Hayden made her way out of the room, making her way to another one a few doors down. As she walked, she hummed to herself slightly, a song that she remembered from her childhood.

“Hey, how are you guys doing in here?” Hayden made her way over to where her girlfriend was sitting on a bar stool, wrapping her arms around the shorter woman’s waist, letting her chin rest on Piper’s shoulder. 

“Everything seems to be in order,” Jemma offered up information. “They just got in, and if no huge problems arise, should be done soon.”

“Yeah, but when does _anything_ go smoothly?” Hunter interjected through the coms, having heard their conversation.

“Hush, just focus on the mission,” Jemma scolded him. “You know just as well as I do that whatever you’re getting could be the very thing that saves us.”

“Yeah, I got it,” Hunter responded, before he turned back to his job, which was scouting ahead, since the space was only big enough for one person. While he looked for danger, Coulson, Bobbi and Mack were talking in hushed voices together.

“How are Fitz and Daisy doing?” Jemma turned to look at Hayden, a worried look creasing the space between her eyebrows.

“They’re good. There hasn’t been too much going on. The most exciting thing has been a possible reappearance of the gas that Daisy and Mack ran into that one time.”

Mack’s voice cut in, concerned. “Are they okay?” The unspoken question of _“Is Elena okay?”_ was clear to them all.

“They’re all fine,” Hayden responded as Piper turned around to face her. “Daisy warned them in time. Everything’s all good for now on their end.”

“Guys,” Hunter’s voice interjected as he made his way back to his team. “You know how there were only supposed to be five guards, a scientist and a computer scientist around?”

“Yeah…” Bobbi replied, watching his facial expressions. She could read him easily, and before could continue, she took the words out of his mouth. “There are more of them. How many?”

“They’re not in the same room that we need to get to, but it’s not just the twenty or so extra guards we need to worry about. Ruby’s here.”

 

* * *

“Move!” Elena called out as she shoved Grant out of sight.

He stumbled for a second, before gathering his bearings. Reaching for the gun tucked into his waistband, he approaches his partners, and as she works to disarm the squadron of guards, he starts firing.

They work well together, but Grant is still on edge. This is the first time he’s been partnered with Elena, their first time out in the field together. He knows she’s fast, determined, but even with her speed, she isn't unstoppable.

“We’ve got eyes on them,” May spoke into the coms as she and Joey made their way through the ventilation system. Daisy was talking them through which way to go as she looked at the building schematics she had found, and using the small, infrared detectors that were part of the cameras embedded in the chest of their bulletproof vests.

Meanwhile, Fitz was helping Grant and Elena, warning them when a threat emerged outside of their line of vision.

“Elena!” Fitz cried out as his eyes widened. “On your left!”

The woman turned, eyes widening as she watched one of the guards connecting a few wires together, planting what looked like a bomb in the corner of the room.

With a quick glance to make sure Grant could handle himself, she ran as fast as she could to the guard, desperate to stop him. She managed to push him away, his head banging against the wall, before she was pulled back to her previous location.

There was a loud noise, then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still Saturday where I live, so this is still technically on time!
> 
> So I have a few ways I might go with Ruby, and I'm starting to explore her character more. I know canonically she's done some awful things, but I feel like some of it could be understood (not necessarily forgiven) if we knew even more about her upbringing, and she could have an interesting redemption, or sort of redemption that makes us dislike her a little less. That being said, she's a strong character that makes for a good antagonist.
> 
> If there's anything you'd like to see with Ruby (or any of the other characters), feel free to let me know. Until next time!


	15. Hold Your Breath, the Answer is Yet to Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tess speculates, Ruby proves herself, the top secret information is retrieved, and the team still waits to hear from the unaccounted four.

“We can handle the guards, no problem,” Bobbi was the first to respond. “Though I am a little worried about Ruby.”

“What’s she doing here, anyways?” Mack asked. “She was supposed to be at the base.”

“No idea,” Coulson responded. “Whatever the reason is, I hope her being here makes it easier for the other team.”

“Think we can take her?” Hunter asked as he cocked his gun.

Bobbi nodded as she started towards the room, leading the group. “We can’t let her stop us. Not anymore. This is too important.”

Exchanging determined looks, the other three set off after her.

They made it to the computer room without any trouble, but as soon as they started for the room, gunshots rang out, guards pouring out of all nearby doors to intercept them.

Coulson and Mack started firing back, as Hunter and Bobbi tried to slip past, Bobbi using her batons to take out guards. As they had fought together often, they worked well together as a pair, seamlessly fighting together to make it to the door.

With Hunter covering her, Bobbi slipped in, scanning her surroundings. She knew it had been too easy to get in, the guards not putting up much of a fight to stop her and Hunter.

She felt Hunter’s hand press against hers, the small device Fitz created now in her hand. Scanning her surroundings, Bobbi spotted the computer she was looking for.

_“I’ll talk you through it. All you need to do is put the drive into the correct port,”_ Piper’s voice came through the ports. Fitz had passed on the instructions.

“Got it,” Bobbi inched along the wall, not looking up to the small walkaway a few feet above her head that was shrouded in shadows.

Ruby smirked as she walked along the walkway, tossing her batons back and forth between her hands. With no Inhumans to face, this was going to be an easy fight.

“Fancy seeing you here,” the blonde quipped as she jumped down in front of Bobbi.

Bobbi immediately pulled out her batons, standing in a fighting position as Hunter leveled his gun at Ruby. 

The smirk stayed put as Ruby taunted them, knowing fully well that they had two teammates outside the room. “So, only two of you? That’s not very smart of you.” And then she threw one of her batons faster than they could react, knocking the gun out of Hunter’s hands.

Despite the bruises on her face, and the exhaustion she was feeling, she pushed it aside, reveling in the adrenaline spike that always came when she fought. Ruby jumped up, grabbing the railing of the walkway with her hands, before swinging her legs out towards Bobbi, who just barely managed to duck in time.

_“Mack, Coulson,”_ Jemma spoke through the coms. _“Ruby engaged Bobbi and Hunter. One of you needs to get in there unnoticed so you can get the information. Bobbi has the drive.”_

Mack and Coulson glanced at each other, before taking in the ten guards in front of them.

“You take five, I take five?” Coulson asked. 

“You got it,” Mack nodded, raising his shotgun-axe.

It didn’t take long for the experienced agents to take out the guards. As soon as they were all down, they followed Piper’s instructions to another entrance into the room, presumably the one Ruby had use.

“You go,” Coulson insisted, making sure Bobbi and Hunter could hear. “Get the drive, get the information, then get the hell out of there.”

Mack nodded, before slipping into the room, leaving Coulson to guard the door with the shotgun-axe, as it would cause too much attention while he was trying to sneak around.

Mack paused for a minute as he peeked out at the fight. Ruby and Bobbi were engaged in a battle with their batons, both of them getting in a few lucky hits. Bobbi’s hair was falling down into her eyes, and Ruby had bruises littering her face. Nonetheless, they didn’t let it stop them. 

Hunter, meanwhile, slipped his hand into Bobbi’s pocket the minute she was close enough, grabbing the device without Ruby noticing. In a flash, it was sliding across the floor, the noise covered by Hunter entering the fight.

Mack picked it up, plugging it into the right port. “Piper, you’re on.”

_“Okay. When prompted, the password is ‘NeueWeltordnung424549372’ with a capital N and W.”_ Piper continued to give him a few more commands, before leading him through the process to find the folder in question. “ _Find the folder labeled MDM49372 and the document labeled 2432.”_

Mack did as she instructed, following her commands precisely. In no time, he had the data on the drive, and he was slipping out of the room unnoticed, joining Coulson at the door.

_“Alright, Bobbi, Hunter. We have the information. You can retreat,”_ Jemma smiled.

With a final toss of her baton, Bobbi left another bruise on Ruby, before dropping a small device with a blinking red light. She pulled Hunter out behind her, slamming the door as they left.

“A little parting gift,” Bobbi called out as smoke began to fill the room Ruby was in. “Let’s go.”

 

* * *

Tess paced nervously in her room, wringing her hands in front of her.

She could hear the commotion sweeping through the base. She had been asleep when it woke her up thirty minutes ago.

The guards still on base were shouting back and forth, coughing as smoke moved in tendrils. Tess was lucky enough to avoid it, as her room was separated from everything else. 

She had never been more thankful for the isolation.

A large explosion had been set off, which had been the noise causing her to wake. At first, Tess had thought that it had been done on purpose, that either the guards were trying to keep someone out, or someone was trying to break in. For a minute, she hoped that it was the extraction team, coming to save her.

But the guards were just as confused as she was. She could hear them trying to decide where the noise had come from, since none of them knew about it, and all the exits were monitored. She hoped it was the team, setting something off in a place the guards didn’t know about, but when no one had arrived so far, she knew it hadn’t been them.

Her door flew open, starting her. A guard stood there, holding a gun at ease at his side as he gestured for her to follow him.

She followed reluctantly, knowing that they were moving her as the explosion was deemed a threat, and as the “Clairvoyant,” she was deemed important to HYDRA, and had to be kept safe.

The guard lead her silently down the maze of hallways, before coming to a stop in front of a door that Tess had seen once before.

Ruby’s.

“Since Ruby is currently not here, and we are dealing with a threat, this is the safest place for you.”

She was offered no more information as she was pushed into the room, the door locked behind her.

Tess was surprised to see how lived in the room looked, especially since the rest of the base was bare and empty. Though she knew there were other residents, she never saw them, and they weren’t called into battle when the base was under threat.

Knowing there was nothing she could do, Tess took to wandering around the room. She had no basis on if Ruby’s room was normal for a girl her age, as the future was vastly different.

There wasn’t too much of a personal touch, like the posters and memorabilia was there as a facade.

The items on the nightstand, however, showed a different story. They were more personal, one item among them looking like it was a journal or diary. There were a few framed photos of Ruby and a dog, and a few necklaces and bracelets were scattered across the surface.

Tess picked up one of the bracelets, examining it closely, before setting it back down. She hadn’t seen much of this time period, and it fascinated her. Her curiosity kept her busy for the next thirty minutes, as she took in everything in the room.

A couple voices outside of the room caught her attention, and Tess moved quietly towards the door, pressing her ear against it in hopes of hearing what the guards (because they were the only ones who knew where she was) were saying.

She stepped away once she heard enough, knowing they were going to move her out of Ruby’s room, that the explosion came from a hidden tunnel that none of them knew was there, but Hale must have.

There was evidence that four unauthorized people had been down there, but none of them were found. Instead, an abandoned bullet proof vest and a bloody towel were left.

Tess was worried that the people had been SHIELD agents, coming to save her, and that now, at least one was severely injured, having been caught in the blast. There was no way the blast had been them, as they would’ve taken precautions not to get hurt.

The sound of the door being unlocked had Tess backing away towards the nightstand, which she scanned over again.

Tess hesitated as she stared at the journal. She knew the information Ruby may have written could help them, but part of her sympathized with the girl. It was obvious she didn’t get much time to have a real life with her overbearing mother, and all her frustrations would be written down.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed it, stuffing it into the front pocket of her sweatshirt before she could talk herself out of it.

A guard stepped in, looking at her suspiciously, before shrugging it off. “C’mon, girl. We’re moving you out of here.

Tess nodded, letting the guard lead her out. She wasn’t going to risk trying to fight back unless she knew she had a chance of escaping.

And unless the SHIELD team came to save her, she was on her own.

 

* * *

“How’s the other team doing?” Bobbi inquired as she pushed hair away from her eyes.

Her team had just gotten back to the car, and were peeling off their bulletproof vests, satisfied that they had gotten away from Ruby and her guards with all of the information that they went in for.

Jemma’s voice responded, quieter than usual, tone somber. “We haven’t had contact with them in the past twenty-five minutes. They went in about twenty minutes after you guys did.A bomb of some sort went off. Hayden, Fitz and Daisy are doing everything they can, but we have nothing so far.”

They fell silent at her words.

“What about Lincoln and Deke?” Hunter asked.

“We think their coms shorted out, but since they weren’t at the blast zone, we’re hoping Daisy can get them back up again,” Jemma responded. “We wanted to tell you as soon as it happened, but you had an important mission at hand that you needed to focus on. For now, get to safety, and we’ll keep you updated.”

 

* * *

Ruby was let out for a couple hours, accompanied by a few guards, one posing as her brother, one as her father, and the other as her coach.

Though they still got what they wanted, when she faced the SHIELD team earlier in the day, she had fought them without much help (and as far as the guards and Ruby knew, kept them from getting what they came for), which earned her a nod of approval from her mother, and a few hours of freedom in exchange.

However, though it was freedom from her new “prison,” it wasn't truly freedom. She had her three guards, and part of the time was already planned. For an hour of the time, she would be at a nearby gym, where she would be going up against people twice her size.

Training would be the only excuse for the bruises on her face that wouldn’t send anyone after them, so having Ruby seen at a gym would lend their excuse credibility.

The blonde walked into the building behind the guard masquerading as her coach, a self-satisfied look on her face.

Four young men turned to face her, looking her up and down before scoffing, believing her not to be a threat.

“Ruby Hale,” the blonde heard her “dad” checking her in. “Best of five rounds.”

The young men started snickering when they realized they would be fighting her. A thin blonde who, though sporting bruises which showed she was capable of at least some fighting, looked too dainty to them.

“I bet even Johnson could kick her ass,” one of the boys pointed to where another young man was in front of a punching bag. With a quick glance, Ruby was able to conclude he had only been training for a short time.

“Who’s up first?” Ruby raised an eyebrow as she made her way to the center of the ring.

“Johnson!” The man working the counter called out. “You’re up!”

The young man looked nervous, and Ruby smiled at him, sickeningly sweet, trying to through him off guard. It worked, at she had him pinned in under two minutes.

“You just got lucky,” a black haired man sneered. “Johnson’s weak.”

“Then show me what you’re made off, tough guy,” Ruby retorted. She knew he was too cocky for his own good, which lead him to slacking off. She let him think he was going to win, before knocking him down four minutes later.

The man behind the counter nodded his head, impressed. “Alexander, you’re next!”

“Try and make this a challenge, huh?” Ruby asked, before getting a kick in, watching as he stumbled back, holding his stomach. Alexander lasted a little longer than the black haired guy and Johnson, but he was still no match for Ruby, who had been training for this her whole life.

“Jackson!”

The tallest of the men stepped up. He was the first to get a decent blow in, and though she didn’t stumble, Ruby felt one of her feet slipping back from the force. However, she got it under control, and knee’d him in the stomach, before forcing him down with her elbows.

She was barely breaking a sweat as she breathed calmly, waiting for the last of the men to approach.

As it was her last fight, she didn’t hold back, limbs a blur as she threw punch after punch, lips turning upward as she kicked him to the ground. She forced him down with her foot that was placed on his chest, smiling triumphantly. “How does it feel to be beaten by a girl?”

Ruby stood smirking over the last of the men she had defeated, reveling in the power she felt. She enjoyed knowing she wasn’t weak, that even people like the men she had defeated had nothing on her. It was the one thing that General Hale passed on to Ruby that she enjoyed. She thrived when she had control and power, which is why she continued to put up with her mother.

Though Ruby didn’t care that she had a preplanned “destiny,” she also wasn’t going to say no to it. While her mother might be using her to fulfill a goal, Ruby would make it hers.

General Hale and Ruby got along, because they both had a goal in mind. Hale wanted to prove she was the right choice, that Whitehall picked her because she was the one who earned it. Ruby? She just wanted out of her mother’s control, to pick her own destiny.

 

* * *

“Lincoln? Deke?” Fitz asked frantically. “Are you guys there?”

As neither he, Hayden or Daisy still hadn't made contact with the ground team, they were holding out hope that Daisy had been able to fix the coms of at least one of the two who had stayed in the van.

“Yeah, we’re here,” Deke’s voice came through, and there were sighs of relief.

While Hayden wanted to know what happened, she knew the rest of the team needed to know, too. She got up, and made her way quickly to the other room, motioning for Jemma and Piper to follow her.

The three women gathered into the room with Fitz and Daisy as they huddled around a laptop. Piper connected their com set to the other, so Mack, Coulson, Bobbi and Hunter could hear. They had found a secluded spot where no one would likely find them, in order to keep the device safe. It had been eight minutes since they heard what happened to their team.

“What do you have on your end?” Daisy asked, nervously running her fingers across the scar on her neck.

“Well, as I’m sure you know, there was a huge explosion—” Deke started.

“What about the others?” Bobbi cut him off. She could see the worry on Mack’s face, knowing that Elena was one of the ones unaccounted for.

“We haven’t heard from them yet,” Lincoln spoke up. “We gave them some time, in case their coms just blew out or something, but we’re gearing up. We’re going to check it out.”

“We don't know if it’s safe,” Jemma warned.

“They were getting Tess, and she’s my friend. I need to know she’s okay, and obviously the team matters as well.” Deke nodded in thanks as Lincoln handed him a bulletproof vest. Though he had known Tess longer, he had come to respect the team, and found his place among them. All of them were brave fighters, and knowing what they had gone through, he knew they would be anxious until the four were accounted for.

The team members gathered at the Lighthouse exchanged looks, knowing they couldn’t do anything to stop Lincoln and Deke.

“Fine,” Daisy relented as the team silently agreed. “Go, but be careful, and keep us updated.”

“You got it,” Deke replied, before opening the door of the van, stepping out with Lincoln right behind him.

It was time to put his worries aside, and step up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: The numbers in the password and document titles spell out words.
> 
> I'm considering a Ruby redemption arc, but I'm not entirely sure. When I first started out, I had a completely different path for her. However, ideas change. Let me know what you think.
> 
> (Yes, I know she's done awful things, but as this story doesn't follow canon past 5x14, save for a few moments here and there, there still is the opportunity for people to see her differently.)


	16. Injuries, Rescues and a Rediscovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deke and Lincoln find out what happened to their missing teammates, and Tess gets to safety.

“Do you see anything?” Deke whispered.

He and Lincoln were cautiously approaching the last place their teammates were seen. They were both on edge, though for different reasons. This was Deke’s first mission, and he was determined to see it through. Lincoln was tense because he was in charge, because he had had more experience working alongside SHIELD. Though it had been a long time since he had last been out in the field, it had been decided with his past experience, he would be leading this.

Two of the people he trusted the most were missing in action, and he was determined to find them. Joey and Elena had been good people to work alongside his first time living, and he knew now that they were vital in saving the future. May and Grant were important to the team, too. But because Lincoln didn’t know them as well, wasn’t ready to trust Grant yet, he was more focused on getting Joey and Elena out alive. They could understand him better, and he trusted them.

He knew he should want to save them all. That’s who he was supposed to be. That’s how the whole team was.

But he couldn’t be. Not yet.

 

* * *

“There,” Hayden pointed at the screen of Daisy’s laptop. “In the corner.”

Deke and Lincoln made their way towards were Hayden was directing them, stepping over chunks of the wall, and half melted grates from the ventilation system. They squeezed past a ceiling beam that was blocking their way, coming to a stop in front of a bulletproof vest, and a bloody towel.

“One of them was definitely severely hurt,” Lincoln sighed heavily as he knelt down. “And one of them left behind a vest.”

“Can you see anything else?” Jemma asked, a worried look on her face.

“Nah, we only have the one flashlight,” Deke responded.

“I, uh,” Lincoln hesitated. “Might be able to help out with that. Here,” he handed Deke the flashlight as he stood back up. “Point it over there,” he instructed, pointing at some of the exposed wires hanging out of the wall.

Deke did as he was told, watching curiously as Lincoln made sparks dance between his fingertips.

“I haven’t tried this before,” Lincoln relayed through the coms as he approached the wires. “Don’t know why, but if it works, we should be in business.” Gently, he lifted his hands towards the wires, linking them back together, as some had been torn during the blast. Once they were all reconnected, he sent a spark of electricity through them, then stood back and waited.

It took a few seconds, but then the power came back on, the lights flickering to life, letting the two get a better look their surroundings. Lincoln and Deke split up, hoping to cover more ground, and find a hint at where their teammates were.

“Whoever got hurt was bleeding a lot,” Lincoln looked back at the vest and towel.

Deke crouched down next to Lincoln to look more closely. “Yeah, there’s blood on the vest, too. Actually,” he moved to reach out and touch the vest, but stopped before he could. He grabbed a nearby piece of wood to poke the vest. “This looks like it’s either Joey or Grant’s vest.” He knew theirs were bigger than May and Elena’s, as the men’s shoulders and backs were more broad.

“We better find them,” Lincoln moved towards an opening in the wall, a small space as there were loose wooden boards and wires blocking half of it.

“Be careful,” Piper warned, as those safe at the Lighthouse watched what was happening through the vest cameras.

“We will.”

 

* * *

Elena’s hands flew to cover her head and face as the bomb went off, sending her flying towards the wall. She fell in a heap on the floor, the metal of her arms scratched, and slightly dented, but otherwise fine. Her injuries weren’t too extensive, and she knew her arms were to thank for no head injuries.

It hurt to get up, and her head was ringing, all noises sounding muffled and far away. She could make out Joey kneeling nearby one of their other teammates, but she couldn’t tell who.

Elena pushed herself up off the floor with a groan, body sore from hitting the wall. Leaning against the wall for a moment, she took in her surroundings.

Half of the ceiling had caved in, some of the ventilation system had fallen onto the floor, grates melted. The floor was littered with dust and chunks of the wall, and the power was out.

Remembering that May and Joey had been up in the vents the last she knew, Elena made her way over to where Joey was, seemingly without major injury, afraid that May might have been seriously injured.

It wasn’t until she got close enough that she realized the figure Joey was sitting besides was too big to be May. It was Grant.

“What happened?” Elena asked Joey, sitting down next to him, thankful that the room wasn’t spinning anymore.

“What?” Joey asked, voice louder than usual.

“What happened?” she asked again, louder this time. It seemed like she wasn’t the only one who was having a hard time hearing clearly. She looked at their injured teammate, trying to figure out what the worst injury was.

“He’s unconscious, and a piece of metal went through his shoulder. He’s bleeding from a gash on his forehead, and he’s definitely going to have aching joints.” 

“Where’s May?”

“She went to go find some of our supplies. Hopefully we have something to help Grant until we can get help. Our coms are down, so we can’t ask Jemma about possible risks that we might not know about.”

“Do you think Lincoln and Deke will check in on us?”

“Probably eventually. But we might be gone by then,” Joey shrugged. “We need to get Tess out, and they definitely know we’re here now.”

Elena nodded in agreement. “We should get out of here as soon as possible. But we should leave something, so Deke and Lincoln know we got out of here relatively fine,” she glanced at Grant.

“Here,” May called out as she ducked out of a hole in a wall, stepping over the debris on the floor. She had a backpack in her hand, and she came to a stop near her teammates. “We need to stop the bleeding. But we should leave the metal in, as taking it out could cause more damage to his nerves. Jemma will be able to take care of that once we get back.”

“I’ll get his vest off,” Joey moved towards his teammate, careful not to jostle him.

Elena took the bag, and with May, they sorted through everything, looking for cloth of some kind.

“Are you okay?” Elena asked as they bypassed extra rounds of bullets and a few granola bars they brought in case Tess needed something to eat.

“I’m fine,” the older agent responded. “Nothing serious.”

Elena glanced at her, but seeing nothing as bad as Grant’s injury, let it go. Jemma would make sure to check them all out when they got back.

The Inhuman spotted a couple towels, and took them out, handing one to Joey to use to mop up some of the blood. He moved carefully, trying not to get too close to the wound.

“We need to get going,” May looked up towards the ceiling as they heard footsteps. “Leave the vest and the towel. We have enough in here to stem the bleeding enough until we can get him to Jemma.

The three of them managed to get Grant up, and May and Joey hoisted him up, each of them with an arm around him. They moved as quickly as they could, heading towards a different hallway. Elena scouted ahead, finding a room that looked like it would be safe enough for them to stay in.

May and Joey were able to get Grant into the room, laying him carefully on the ground.

“Now what are we going to do?” Joey asked. “With Grant down for the count… And someone should probably stay with him. One of you has to go, since Tess knows you.”

May nodded in agreement. “We need to do this as quickly as possible. The bleeding hasn’t stopped, and he’s going to need medical attention soon.”

“I can stay,” Elena volunteered. “Might be good to stay in our original pairs.”

“No,” May shook her head. “I’ll look after Grant. You two go get Tess out safely.” She knew the two were more than competent. They had proven themselves time and time again, both their first time around, and this second time.

Elena was a fighter, having survived loosing her arms, only to come back fighting harder. Joey had stepped away for a normal life, but came back to the team because fighting to keep the world safe was part of who he was. They worked well as a pair, and with their powers, could get in and out without too much trouble.

Elena nodded, taking off with Joey at her side. Arguing with May would get them nowhere, and would waste time they needed.

 

* * *

“This way,” Deke pointed at a bloody footprint on the ground. “It’s the only one I see, but it has to be theirs.”

He and Lincoln moved quietly down the hallway, while Daisy and Fitz used the camera embedded in their vests to detect heat signatures.

_“Okay, three rooms down. There are two heat signatures. One has to be either Grant or Joey. They’re injured. The other figure is on their feet.”_

“Copy that, Daisy,” Deke responded.

Lincoln and Deke moved towards the door, pushing it open as they called out to whoever was on the other side.

Once the door was opened, they saw May, standing in front of them, gun in hand. When she saw it was them, she lowered the gun. “Either of you have medical supplies?”

Deke glanced over at the figure on the ground. “What happened? I mean, we know there was a bomb, but I’m guessing Grant got the worst of it?”

May nodded, taking the bag Lincoln offered her. “Elena and Joey are getting Tess. Neither of them have big injuries, and neither do I. Grant got a piece of metal through his shoulder, and there’s risk of nerve damage.”

“Let me take a look,” Lincoln knelt down. “I was once a doctor, you know.” He pushed aside his uneasiness with Grant, because when he was a doctor, they had to treat everyone. It didn’t matter what they had done, so long as they could save a life.

He grabbed a pair of gloves out of his bag, that he had packed just in case. Carefully, so as not to jostle the metal, he probed around the wound. “If it’s taken out right, he shouldn’t have much nerve damage. Nothing a couple weeks of physical therapy can’t help.” He asked Deke to search through his bag for the sterilized needle and thread he had brought with him. “I’m not going to touch the shoulder right now, but I can patch up the forehead wound.”

“Stay with them,” May ordered. “I’ll keep an eye out for guards or our people.”

Lincoln worked with steady hands, remembering what he had learned in medical school, even though it had been a long time since he had practiced medicine. Deke followed any instruction given to him by the Inhuman, and soon, Grant’s forehead had been all patched up.

“You’re good at this. Why did you stop?” Deke asked.

“I got roped into all of this SHIELD business. Then I died.” Lincoln pulled off the gloves, wrapping them up in a plastic bag to dispose of later. “I don’t think I could ever go back to working in a normal hospital, not after everything. But maybe I’ll help out Jemma with the team.”

“You should,” Deke sat down. “Hey, have anything to eat in there?”

Lincoln rolled his eyes, but handed his teammate a granola bar anyways. “Don’t go through them all. Tess might need some.”

“Right. Any estimate on how long this’ll take? You would know better than me.”

Lincoln shrugged. “Unless they run into trouble, we should be out of here soon.”

Deke nodded as he took a bite of his snack. “I hope so.”

 

* * *

Tess stood up, backing towards the wall as she heard footsteps approaching her room. She pressed Ruby’s journal behind her, the pages pressed against the wall, still open to the page she had been reading.

“ _Quedarse atrás_ ,” she heard a voice say, the language unfamiliar to her.

“ _Ten cuidado_ ,” a women’s voice responded.

The door began to melt from the top down, revealing the face of an unfamiliar man, who Tess guessed had been speaking, and Elena.

“Tess!” the woman called out. “Come on. We need to get out of here.”

“Are you guys okay?” Tess asked as she clambered over the bed, making her way to the door. She shoved the journal into her pocket. “I heard the bomb, and that the guards found a bloody towel and a vest.”

“Both of us and May are doing fine. Nothing too bad. But one of our teammates was hurt. We need to get him back to Jemma.”

Tess nodded. “Do you know if Deke is okay? Before I came here, no one had seen him for three days. I hoped he somehow made it back to this year and found you guys.”

Elena smiled. “Yeah, he found us. He’s fine. He’s with another teammate, Lincoln, waiting for us right now. Joey,” she pointedat the man with her, “and I will bring you down to where May and Grant are, then we’ll head over to where Lincoln and Deke are. Then we’ll head back to our base where the rest of the team is.”

Tess nodded, walking next to Elena as Joey followed behind them.

As Elena sped ahead to see if there was any danger, Tess dropped back to talk to Joey.

“How did you meet the team?” she asked.

“It was a few years ago, back when SHIELD used to be around. I was recruited by them because I’m an Inhuman. I worked with Daisy, Elena, and another Inhuman, Lincoln. I’ve spent the last few years away, but they needed my help. And I enjoy being out in the field, saving the world.”

“What are your powers?” Tess asked, curiously. “I’ve seen Daisy and Elena use their powers, and my friend Flint from my time.”

“Control over metal.”

“That’s cool,” Tess responded, eyes lighting up. “Mind showing me sometime?”

“How about you watch the four of us fight together sometime? If you get trained, they might let you out in the field with us.”

“I’d love that,” Tess responded as she ducked under a stairway.

“Then let’s get you out of here.”

 

* * *

“We should move him now,” Lincoln stood next to May as he relayed his medical expertise. “Deke and I can bring him back to the van.”

May stared at him for a moment, before looking back to where Deke was standing near Grant, the latter paling with blood loss. “Go. Once the others get here, we’ll meet you there. Be ready to leave quickly.”

Lincoln nodded, before ducking back into the room. “Help me get him up. We need to get him back to the van. Grab his feet. I’ll keep his shoulder supported.”

Deke nodded, shouldering the backpack before helping Lincoln get Grant up. They maneuvered past May, careful not to jostle the man they were carrying. They had to move slowly and carefully to get past all the rubble that the bomb left behind, coughing as dust began to settle.

Twenty minutes later, they were unlocking the van, before lifting Grant up to rest on one of the benches.

“I’m going to stay back here with him. Can you turn the van on?”

Deke nodded, catching the keys Lincoln tossed to him. He didn’t know much about cars, but he did know how to turn one on.

They waited for another fifteen minutes, Lincoln monitoring Grant’s condition as Deke kept a look out from the passenger seat.

“There!” Deke called out, spotting four people running towards them, May in the lead.

May got to them first, jumping into the driver’s seat, as Elena helped Tess into the back of the van. Joey got in behind them, slamming the door behind him.

May sped off, focused on getting them back to the Lighthouse. Meanwhile, Deke turned back to check on Tess, wanting to get caught up with his friend.

“You good?”

“Yeah, I’m good. They didn’t do much to me, since I was giving them information they wanted. How’s this time period treating you?”

Elena and Joey left them to their conversation as they sat down across from Lincoln, wanting information on how Grant was doing. They were glad they had the doctor with them, instead of having to wait until they got to Jemma.

“So he’ll be okay, right?” Joey asked.

“His head wound will heal nicely, now that I’ve stitched it shut. I need a better environment to operate on his shoulder. Jemma will probably want to help.”

“So it looks like you’re giving him a chance, huh?” Elena asked quietly.

Lincoln shrugged. “Turns out I miss doing medical work, and doctors work on everyone they can. It’s not like I trust him fully or anything, but even though I don’t mind the field. and will still do it if needed, I might starting helping Jemma out some more.”

“Good,” Elena smiled. “Don’t get me wrong. You are good in the field, and Joey and I like having you out there with us. We worked well as a team before. But you seem to be more at ease with medical work. Test it out, see how it goes for you.”

“I will,” Lincoln responded, glad to have his teammate’s support. “And don’t think just because I have Grant to keep an eye on, and that you’re all standing upright, that I’ll let you go without being checked over.”

“You and Jemma both,” Elena laughed, shaking her head. “Doctors.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lincoln's medical arc just happened. I wasn't planning on it, but I like where it's going.
> 
> More Jemma/Lincoln and Daisy/Grant (friendship) bonding coming soon!


	17. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is safely back at the base, and works on healing, or getting one step closer to fixing bonds or the future.

Joey and Deke supported Grant’s body, while Lincoln kept an eye on the metal in his shoulder. They hurried him to the medical bay, where Jemma was waiting.

“I hope you don’t mind me joining you on this,” Lincoln pulled on a pair of gloves, before joining Jemma.

“Not at all,” she smiled. “In this case, I think an extra pair of hands will be quite helpful. One of us will need to hold him still, while the other carefully takes the metal out. We don’t want unnecessary nerve damage.” As she went to grab the tools they would need, she shoo’ed everyone else out of the room save for Mack, who was on standby in case they needed an extra pair of hands.

While they were working on Grant, the rest of the team, and Tess, would be going over the missions in the common room. Once they were done with the briefing and she and Lincoln were done working on Grant, the two doctors would look over everyone else, taking care of the minor injuries while Fitz and Daisy worked on decoding the information retrieved.

Once they were sure Grant was under, they got to work. Carefully, Jemma used a scalpel to widen the wound in order to give them more space to work, and to make sure that none of the metal was missed. They wanted to get it all out.

They worked in silence for the most part, handing each other the tools needed as they extracted all the metal. While Jemma discarded the metal and started cleaning up the tools, Lincoln carefully stitched the wound back up.

Satisfied that the procedure had all gone to plan, Jemma and Lincoln cleaned up, while Mack moved Grant over to the room next door, where he would be staying until the doctors cleared him.

Once Mack was sure Grant was all set, he wandered over to the common room, catching the end of the briefing.

Tess was telling the team what the past couple weeks of her life had been like. As she finished up, she tentatively pulled what looked like a journal out of the pocket of her sweatshirt.

“I took this when I was on the compound. From Ruby’s room. It’s her diary. I’ve been flipping through it,” Tess admitted. “I wasn’t sure if it would help you guys out or not, and I impulsively took it from her nightstand.”

“She’s going to be pissed when she notices it’s gone,” Daisy laughed. “But yeah, it might be helpful. Thanks.”

Tess smiled back, before tucking it back into her pocket. “If you don’t mind… I’d like to hang on to it. I know you guys would like to look at it, and you can, but… I don’t know. I know Ruby isn’t the best person, trust me. But her life wasn’t easy, either. Some of this stuff I think should stay private.”

Daisy and Fitz exchanged a look. Mack knew both of them liked having all the details when making a plan, but the part of them that held secrets they didn’t want others to know understood.

“Yeah, hang on to it,” Bobbi seemed to know what Daisy, Fitz and Tess were thinking. “But anything, and I mean anything, that will help us needs to be shown to at least one of us. We need to know what we’re facing.” She had a no nonsense look on her face, one that left no room for arguing.

Tess nodded, agreeing. “Thank you.”

The meeting broke up, and Daisy wandered over to Mack. “How’d the procedure go? Did they get all the metal out?”

“It went just fine. No problems, all the metal is out. Jemma and Lincoln are cleaning up, and Grant is asleep. They’ll know more when he wakes up.”

“Okay, good,” Daisy nodded. “I’ll check in on him later. Fitz and I are going to start working on the files after we eat. You want anything?”

“I’m good for now, thanks.”

“Okay then,” Daisy turned to head towards the kitchen. “Oh, and if you’re looking for Elena,” she called out behind her, “she’s helping Tess get settled.”

“Thanks, Daisy,” Mack responded. “Hope everything goes well!”

“So do I."

 

* * *

Daisy had decided to pass on getting food when she noticed a lone figure at the end of a hallway.

She hesitated when she realized who it was, noting that he sitting by himself. She hadn’t truly talked to him in over a week, and she wasn’t sure how to start. She had been so wrapped up in the project she was working on with Fitz, and was trying to figure out how she felt about everything. Her life was complicated, and it was easier for her to work on one thing at a time.

Daisy nervously ran her fingers over the scar on her neck, the fabric of her gloves brushing against her skin. “Hey,” she made sure to keep her voice quiet so as not to startle him.

Lincoln looked up, a slightly surprised look on his face. “Hi.”

“Can I—”

“Yeah,” he moved over to make room for her. “How are you?” he asked after a beat of silence.

“Okay,” she shrugged. “Been busy. This whole the-world-as we-know-it will-cease-to-exist-because-of-me situation is tiresome.”

“Hey, we’ll figure this out. You, and Elena, and Joey, and I are meant to destroy the chamber. We will do it. Whatever you and Fitz find will help us. I know it.”

She smiled at him, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I hope so. And I’m sorry for not spending time with you. There’s just been a lot going on, and I didn’t mean to ignore you. I hope the rest of the team has been treating you well.”

“It’s fine,” Lincoln waved it off. He knew there was a lot of pressure on her and Fitz at the moment, and he didn’t want to add to it. Even though he wanted her around, since he knew and trusted her more than the rest, he knew he couldn’t push her. “Jemma filled me in on what I missed, and Elena and Joey have been training with me.”

He glanced over at her, eyes pausing on both her scar and her gloves, but he didn’t say anything. That was a conversation for another time. Instead, he let the comfortable silence wash over them, the only noise being their breathing. 

“Thank you,” Daisy turned to look at him.

Lincoln glanced at the girl sitting next to him, close enough that their shoulders were touching. “For what?”

Daisy sighed. “I know you aren’t a big fan of Grant, and I’m not going to force you to become best friends or whatever. But he’s part of the team, now, and so are you. You have to work together, and knowing that you volunteered to help Jemma out is a step. You didn’t have to. But you did.”

Lincoln shrugged. “I was a doctor, once. We do whatever we can to save lives.”

“I know,” she smiled as she turned to look out one of the few windows at the Lighthouse, looking up at the stars. She let her head drop to rest on his shoulder, and they continued to sit in silence as they looked at the stars. “That’s what heroes do.”

 

* * *

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Daisy asked, a small smile spreading across her face. She had made her way to Grant’s room after her talk with Lincoln, a promise to meet up with Fitz afterwards in the back of her mind.

Grant’s face scrunched up at the bright light. He sat up, wincing at the dull ache in his shoulder. “How long have I been out?”

“Only a few hours. The missions were successful, and Jemma and Lincoln were able to patch you up. You might need a little physical therapy, but otherwise you’ll be fine.”

“Lincoln? Didn’t know he was a doctor.”

“Yeah, he was.”

“Was? When did he stop?”

“When we, and by that, I mean mostly me, dragged him into the mess of SHIELD and Inhumans living within communities of normal people. He was doing fine, working as a doctor and spending time at Afterlife until SHIELD appeared in his life. After he decided to stick with us, until he… He looked after me, Joey, and Elena because he understood our biology where others couldn’t.”

“Hmm,” Grant hummed noncommittally. “How’s everyone else?”

“I don’t know,” Daisy admitted. “Lincoln and Jemma waited to check them over until they got the metal out of your shoulder and stitched you up. The head wound should heal well enough, but they’re going to keep an eye on it. Lincoln had to stitch it up in a non sterile environment because you were loosing too much blood. Jemma will be by later to do a few tests and determine if you need physical therapy or not. If you do, Piper will help you out with that.”

“How are you?” Grant asked, turning to look at her. He noticed the tired look in her eyes, and the way her shoulders sagged. There were marks on her arms from her gloves, which were scrunched down at the moment.

She shrugged. “Could be worse. Fitz and I are going to check out the documents later. There’s going to be a lot to go through, but the answer to fixing the future should be in there. And Tess found Ruby’s journal. We’re hoping that’ll help us out.”

“Are you getting any sleep?” he asked. He didn’t mind her seeing him worry, since he trusted her the most. Grant knew that she wouldn’t tell most people about her troubles, as she never had.

“I’m getting enough. I’ll sleep better once this is all over. But enough about me. You need to get rest, so you can heal properly. I wish I could stay longer, but the future needs me. I’ll have Jemma stop by and check on you.”

“Go ahead. Go save the world,” he smiled at her.

“I’ll stop by tomorrow,” she promised, before squeezing his hand.

As Daisy left the room, she spotted Jemma walking down the hallway. “Jemma! Wait up.”

Jemma paused, waiting for her friend to catch up to her.

“How’s everyone else?” Daisy wanted to make sure none of the others suffered from a serious injury.

“Lots of scrapes and bruises, a few cuts. May has a sprained ankle, and Bobbi pulled a muscle. But nothing serious. As missions go, especially for us, they all got off pretty lucky.” She smiled as she noticed the look of relief on her friend’s face.

“Good, I’m glad to hear. Hey, do you mind checking in on Grant? He just woke up and I think he should be checked out.”

“Yes, I’ll check on him after wrapping up May’s ankle. She’s refusing it, but it’ll help her out, since she refuses to rest it.”

Daisy laughed. “That sounds like her. Go on and do that. It’ll probably be more enjoyable than staring at a screen for a few hours.”

“Don’t stay up too late,” Jemma warned. “Both you and Fitz need to get more sleep. I will send someone in after you two if it gets too late.”

Daisy raised her hands in a placating measure. “Alright, alright. But if we’re in the middle of something big when whoever you send comes to get us, we reserve the right to finish up.”

“Fine,” Jemma huffed, a small smile on her face.

“Oh, and if you see Lincoln, tell him I’d like to talk to him before I head off to bed.”

“Will do!” the scientist called out behind her as she made her way to the common room. “Good luck!”

 

* * *

Fitz was already waiting for her when she entered the room, a few laptops in front of him. Off to the side were a couple pillows and blankets in case they wanted to get more comfortable.

Knowing this would take awhile, and that there was no risk of danger in the room, Daisy pulled one of her gloves off. It would make her quick typing easier, but even though she knew nothing would happen, she was still wary. To her, wearing the one glove was a safety precaution that had to be set in place. Despite still having one glove on, it was nice not to be wearing one of them, as they’d been on so often they were starting to leave marks.

Grabbing one of the laptops, Daisy sat next to Fitz. He had already plugged in the drive, and the folder was ready the screen.

“Are you ready?” Daisy asked, a concerned look on her face.

Fitz took a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Go for it.”

Daisy nodded, before opening the files their teammates retrieved. She focused on the screen, background noises fading away as she worked on cracking the defenses set in place.

Before she opened the file that she knew the last remnants of AIDA would be, she put her hand out, letting Fitz decide if he needed to comfort or not.

He hesitated, before placing his hand in hers, the fabric of her glove pressed against his palm as their hands squeezed together. 

“Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> coming up soon: Tess training, Daisy and Fitz finding the remains of AIDA, Jemma deals more with pregnancy symptoms, and another conversation between Lincoln and Grant


	18. Taking the Next Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitz, Lincoln and Grant all get something off their shoulders. The team starts preparing for their next move, while also enjoying time with each other.

Jemma groaned as she pressed her forehead against the cool surface of the sink. The pounding in her head, the queasiness in her stomach, and the ache in her feet were getting to be too much. Usually, Daisy was around to get Jemma into bed, and to wipe a towel across her forehead to cool her down. Then, either Daisy or Leo would curl up with her, rub her back, and stay with her until she fell asleep.

However, both her best friend and her husband were working on saving the world, so Jemma was alone. She knew if the others knew of her predicament at that exact moment that they would help her. She knew Elena would soothe her with stories of her childhood in her native language, that Hayden would hum to her quietly, that Lincoln might have some medical advice that Jemma couldn’t think of through her headache.

Feeling tired, as she had been going longer than she should’ve without much sleep, she sprawled across the cool tile floor, throwing her arm over her face to block out the incessant light. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed there, drifting in and out of sleep, before a knock on the bedroom door roused her enough to sit up. Even though she managed to sit up, standing up and walking to the door seemed like too much effort.

“Come in,” she called out as loudly as she could, punctuating her sentence with a yawn.

“Jemma?” Bobbi called out as she opened the door, closing it quietly behind her. “Are you okay?”

“Tired,” the scientist mumbled in return, reaching up to wave at Bobbi.

Bobbi sighed as she made her way over to her teammate. “Jemma… How long has it been since you actually got a good night’s sleep?”

Jemma shrugged. “Don’t know. But I know I’m not as bad as Daisy.”

Bobbi muttered something under her breath about how the whole team was falling apart and that they all need to learn to get sleep, because even Grant had been getting regular sleep, and he usually didn’t sleep much. “I’ll be talking about this to Daisy later… And pretty much everyone else. But you aren’t just taking care of yourself anymore. Look, it’s,” Bobbi glanced at the watch on her wrist, “almost three in the morning. I’m going to help get you to bed, then, even if I have to drag them kicking and screaming, I will get Daisy and Fitz in bed, too. Sound good?”

Jemma nodded, letting the other woman help her get up. Bobbi led her to the bed, pulling down the blanket. Bobbi then proceeded to grab a change of clothes for the scientist, letting her put them on as Bobbi grabbed a towel, running it under water.

By the time Bobbi returned to the bedroom, Jemma was half asleep. Smiling slightly, Bobbi sat down next to the younger woman, and gently wiped down her face.

“Daisy told me what to do,” Bobbi answered Jemma’s unasked question. “She figured you would need help when she and your husband were busy.”

“Mmm,” Jemma hummed. “Good friend.”

“Yeah, yeah she is,” Bobbi agreed. As Jemma finally fell asleep, Bobbi hung the towel on a rack in the bathroom, before quietly slipping out of the room, turning the light off.

She made her way down the hallway, knowing that she had to get Daisy and Fitz off to bed. They were both bad with getting enough sleep, but she had a feeling she could get them to listen to her. She figured Jemma hadn’t realized how late it had gotten, because if she had, the scientist would have already dragged her friend and husband away from their research.

Bobbi paused as she passed Daisy’s room, noting the door slightly cracked open and the light streaming into the hallway. She approached, listening to see who was there.

“Lincoln?” she called out, giving him a few seconds to acknowledge her presence before opening the door. “Waiting for Daisy?”

“Yeah, Jemma told me she wanted to talk to me,” he shrugged as he looked up from a medical textbook he had found. “Any idea on how much longer she’ll be? I’d kind of like to get some sleep tonight.”

“She and Fitz are still working, according to Jemma who I just managed to put to sleep,” she rolled her eyes. “I swear, no one on this team gets any sleep, except for, surprisingly, Grant.”

The corner of Lincoln’s mouth pulled upward. “You want some help getting them to bed?”

“Yeah, yeah I would.”

 

* * *

Daisy clicked on the file. She felt Fitz’s hand squeeze hers, both of them holding their breath as it opened.

AIDA’s face appeared, looking unreal as it peacefully rested against the backdrop of the screen, eyes closed. She looked exactly how they remembered her, and Daisy felt Fitz tense. They both stared at the screen, worried that something was going to happen. They knew that she couldn’t do anything to them, that there wasn’t enough left of her consciousness. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t still, technically, alive.

Just as they started to relax, her eyes opened, taking them in. “Leopold,” her voice floated out of the laptop speakers as her eyes focused in on Fitz, completely ignoring Daisy. “You’re looking well. Are you doing well?”

Daisy glanced out of the corner of her eye, taking in her friend. She saw the anger reflected in his eyes, recognized the way he looked before he burst.

“Am I doing well? Am I doing well?” he asked indignantly, voice getting louder. “Do you _think_ I’m doing bloody well? You ruined my life!”

“Oh, Leopold,” she responded. “I didn’t ruin it. I showed you what you could be.”

“Yeah, a _monster_ who hurt everyone I actually care about!”

Fitz had let go of Daisy’s hand by this point, his fingers curling into the palms of his hands as he yelled at the LMD. “You made me into tool you could use. You manipulated me!” He knew that a lot of the choices he had made in the Framework had been his, but most came at the suggestion or urging of AIDA.

Like she knew what he was thinking, she responded in a steady, confident voice. “You were the one who took action. I just fed you the words you needed to hear.”

Daisy watched the exchange uncertainly. She knew Fitz had a lot to get out of her system, but she didn’t want AIDA’s words to make it worse. She watched carefully, ready to jump in if it started to get worse.

“It was you that made me hate myself, that made me start to hear and see things that weren’t there. It was your influence, your words from the Framework. It’s because of what you did in the Framework that I hurt Daisy!”

The Inhuman ran her fingers across the scar, like she did when she was feeling anxious. She knew the topic was going to come up again.

“I hurt one of my best friends because of you. It’s a wonder she even wants to be around me! She has every right to be afraid, to hate me after what I did. She didn’t have to let me out of the room I locked myself in. Sometimes when I’m alone for too long, or see my hands shaking I feel like I _deserve_ to be back there. I barely trust myself in the lab anymore, and that used to be a safe place for me. I should be happy right now. I should be able to focus on my future with Jemma, not how your influence will affect everything I do. I don’t want my family to have to deal with me.”

Fitz was shaking at this point, face red with anger, self-hatred and doubt. His hands were still clenched in fists by his side, fingernails biting into the skin of his palms. “The Doctor is _not_ who I am, not in this universe. I never want to be him, but I know I can’t shake off part of who I am. But I will do better. I don’t want to be afraid of myself any more. I want to be able to work in the lab again, want to have a chance to have a happy future with the love of my life. I’m not going to let what you did to me have a hold on me for the rest of my life.”

AIDA looked angry, ready to snap back, but instead of letting the LMD try and manipulate Fitz, Daisy tried to shut her down. However, she couldn’t shut AIDA down all the way, not if they wanted the information they came for.

Instead, Daisy managed to keep AIDA quiet as she went through the information the LMD had been able to acquire when she was still around. As soon as the files were downloaded, she shut AIDA down, making sure there was no way AIDA could turn herself back on.

Once the drive was pulled out of the computer, she shoved it in her pocket. She didn’t like having it around, but knew that of the two of them, she would be the better choice to hold on to it. She didn’t want Fitz to attempt to talk more to the LMD, afraid what hold AIDA might be able to have over him. the LMD could be very persuasive, and even the strongest would eventually crumble against her.

“Hey, you did it,” she murmured to her friend. “You stood up to her.” She had known he needed a few minutes to himself to calm down after yelling at AIDA, so had taken the opportunity to get the information.

Fitz’s breathing was still a little heavy, but the tension had left his shoulders, a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He felt better, but knew even though he accepted the fact that it had been largely AIDA who made him feel this way, there was still stuff he had to work on. There was still a dark spot in him, but it felt more controllable now. “Did you get the information?”

Daisy nodded. “We now know how the chamber functions, and where it’ll be moved next. It’s too heavily guarded right now, since we aren’t fully prepared. But if we can all get training and only focus on finally putting things right, we should be ready when it’s moved. Hale has it moved every so often to try and keep it safe. The next move is in two weeks.”

Fitz opened his mouth to say something, but a knock on the door had them turning to see who it was.

Bobbi opened the door, Lincoln walking in the room after her.

“Alright, it’s three in the morning and you two need to sleep. I just got Jemma into bed, and I promised her I’d do whatever it took to get you two in bed, even if you kick and scream.”

Daisy looked curiously at Lincoln, and he answered her unasked question.

“Bobbi found me waiting for you, since you told Jemma you wanted to talk to me,” he shrugged. “And I came along to make sure you two were doing okay.”

“Yeah, we’re okay,” Daisy smiled, glancing over at Fitz who seemed more at ease than he had in awhile. Yelling at AIDA had done him some good. “We actually just finished up. We got the information.”

Both Bobbi and Lincoln looked hopeful.

“We know how the chamber works. I’ll study it to figure out the minute details. We also know that they’re moving the chamber in two weeks. Until then, we all need to focus on this, getting training done. We’re going to need everything, and everyone, we have. This is our chance,” Fitz explained.”

“Two weeks. We better be ready.” Bobbi looked confident. “You can fill the team in on this in the morning, and we’ll start making a plan. But you two better be well rested.” Her tone and the expression on her face made it clear there was no room for arguing.

Sighing, Daisy put the laptop on the table, before standing up. She raised her arms above her head, stretching. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go,” she headed for the door, grabbing Lincoln’s wrist. “Get Fitz to bed, will you?”

“I will,” Bobbi promised. “Now go.”

Daisy and Lincoln walked back to her room in silence, their hands brushing against each other’s occasionally. Most of the other rooms were dark, as everyone else was already asleep.

“You wanted to talk to me?” Lincoln broke the silence once they were back in Daisy’s room.

“Yeah,” she responded as she sat down on her bed, pulling the glove that was still on, off. She placed both gloves on the nightstand. Yawning, she continued. “But that can wait until morning. Bobbi’s right. I need sleep. I have no idea the last time I actually slept a reasonable amount of time. It’s pretty much just been naps.”

Lincoln nodded, noting how tired she looked. “I’ll see you in the morning, then?”

She hesitated for a moment, fiddling with the hair tie around her wrist. “You can stay, if you want,” she shrugged one of her shoulders. She didn’t wait for his response as she moved to grab a pair of pajamas. 

“Uh, sure,” he nodded, sitting down on the edge of her bed. He pulled his shoes off, leaving them against the wall.

Daisy rolled her eyes as she pulled on the clean tank top. “You couldn’t look more uncomfortable. You don’t have to stay. And if you do, just make yourself at home. It’s not like we’re strangers.”

Lincoln’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Right, right.” He adjusted one of the pillows, before laying down. He watched as Daisy put her hair up, before turing the lights off.

She laid down on the other side of the bed, pulling the sheet over her legs as she yawned. Daisy had been running on pure determination and coffee for the past two weeks, and it had just hit her how tired she really was. Letting her exhaustion wash over her, she curled up against Lincoln, head resting on his chest as she slipped off to dream land.

Smiling slightly, he wrapped an arm around her, before letting his own eyes shut.

 

* * *

When Lincoln woke up the next morning, both his arm and Daisy were asleep. Through the haze in his eyes, as he wasn’t fully awake, he glanced at the time. Since it was only half past seven, and Bobbi insisted they get at least six hours of sleep, they had at least an hour and a half before anyone came looking for them.

Moving his arm carefully, Lincoln pulled Daisy closer to him, before closing his eyes again.

It was nice to have a little bit of time where they didn’t have pressing duties, where it felt more like it had during his first shot at life. He knew despite everything that happened, Daisy wouldn’t trade anything to go back to that time, as she was glad to have all her teammates around. Bobbi and Hunter weren’t who-knows-where, and both he and Grant were alive again.

The corner of Lincoln’s mouth pulled up in a smile as Daisy sighed, nose twitching slightly as she shifted in her sleep.

The next time he woke up, it was a quarter after nine. The voices of Joey and Elena outside the hallway caught his attention, and he figured they were getting breakfast.

They still had time before briefing, but Lincoln knew both he and Daisy would need to eat something first.

Getting up quietly so as not to disturb the other Inhuman, Lincoln opened the door to peak out. Sure enough, he saw Elena and Joey turning down the hallway that led to the kitchen and common room.

Elena turned when she heard the door open, smiling when she saw Lincoln. “You two better hurry up before all the food is gone. Hayden made pancakes.”

“We’ll be there soon,” Lincoln promised his teammate. “Make sure to save us some,” he called out hearing Daisy waking up behind him.

“Will do,” Joey nodded, before he and Elena turned the corner.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Lincoln greeted Daisy. “Breakfast is ready. Hayden made pancakes.”

Daisy’s eyes lit up. “Her pancakes are the best, seriously. You’re going to love them. C’mon, let’s get going.” She was up quickly, pinning a few loose strands of hair out of her face with bobby pins. She moved towards him, grabbing his hand, pulling him out of the door. “We need to get there before everyone eats them all.”

Lincoln laughed as he let her pull him towards the kitchen, where most of the team was already gathered, plates of pancakes covered in syrup in front of them.

“Hey, are there any left for us?” Daisy let go of Lincoln’s hand to great Jemma, who was talking to Bobbi.

“Yeah, Elena saved some for you,” Hayden pointed at two plates on the counter.

“Thanks,” Daisy smiled at both Hayden and Elena, who were sitting next to each other. She sat down near Jemma, waving Lincoln over to sit in the extra chair next to her. “When’s the briefing?”

“At eleven,” Bobbi answered. “And I’m glad to see you actually got some sleep.”

Daisy smiled sheepishly, before turning to her plate, wanting to eat while the pancakes were still warm.

“Okay, I thought you were exaggerating when you said these were the best, but you weren’t,” Lincoln interjected after trying the pancakes.

“Told you,” Daisy looked proud. “Hey, Hayden! Lincoln also agrees you make the best pancakes.”

“Thanks,” the woman chuckled. “Learned how to cook from my grandmother.” She got up then, grabbing both her plate and Piper’s, kissing her girlfriend on the check before moving to bring the dirty dishes to the sink. “Hey, I left a few pancakes on a plate for Grant. Whoever checks on him first can give them to him.”

“I’ll make sure they get to him,” Jemma called out. She moved to get up, but stopped when she noticed the look on Bobbi’s face. “What?”

“You need to take it easy. You can’t move at the same pace as you used to. Someone else can check in on Grant.”

“I’ll be passing by his room to get to mine, anyways. I can drop them off,” Daisy volunteered. She agreed with Bobbi on the fact that Jemma needed to look out for herself more.

“But what about checking on his shoulder and head?” Jemma looked hesitant, but settled down in the chair.

“I can pop by later,” Lincoln shrugged. “You’re not the only doctor anymore.”

“There, problem solved,” Bobbi announced, sending Jemma a look that made it clear there was going to be no more arguing.

“Fine,” Jemma grumbled. “I guess it would be nice to relax instead of dealing with aching feet and swollen ankles.”

“We can watch a movie, if you want,” Fitz spoke up for the first time that morning. “Until briefing, we have free time.”

Jemma agreed, and when she was finished eating, she and her husband made their way to the common room.

“I’ll be sparring with Bobbi until briefing,” May headed towards the door. “Coulson’s busy, so try not to disturb him for the next hour.”

“I’m going to show Tess around,” Deke stood up. “We’ll see you guys at eleven.”

Tess waved at them before following her friend.

“I’m going to head back to my room. I need a shower. Then I’ll check in on Grant,” Lincoln decided.

Daisy watched him go as she finished eating, before clearing her dishes. Grabbing the still warm plate of pancakes, she made her way towards Grant’s room.

The visit was quick. She made sure he wasn’t in pain before giving him his food and letting him know when the briefing was.

Smiling at him, she headed back to her room to take a shower and change clothes. She knew starting that afternoon, the hard work would begin.

 

* * *

“How’s the shoulder doing, doc?” Grant called out, not looking up from his book as the door opened. He was taking it easy on advice from Jemma. If it had been his first time living, he would’ve refused, but the scientist had become one of his closer friends, and he knew that if she wanted to, could force him back into bed. She had grown and gotten stronger during his time away from the team, both when he was on the other side, and when he was dead.

Though he hated to admit it, Grant was thankful to have people like Jemma and Daisy especially to look after him when he was injured.

Daisy had stopped by after breakfast, bringing him a few pancakes. She had told him they were going to have a briefing later on, and she and Fitz would tell the team what they found. Before she left, she had told him someone would be stopping by to check in on his shoulder and head wound. He figured it would be Jemma.

He was wrong.

Lincoln walked in, clipboard in hand as he scanned the notes Jemma had made when she had checked in on Grant the evening previous. “I don’t know, you tell me?”

“Oh,” Grant looked up from his book. “You’re not Jemma.”

“No, no I’m not,” Lincoln responded, amused. “She sent me to check on you.”

“Is she okay?” Grant asked.

“Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary. She’s just complaining about the sore feet and swollen ankles. Bobbi made her take a break, and I said I’d check on you. Not that she wouldn’t have made me come anyways.”

Grant looked amused at that. “Anything in her notes?”

Lincoln glanced down at the clipboard again. “She didn’t notice anything wrong, but I’m going to check just to make sure. You should be recovered enough in a couple more days to start physical therapy. Piper’s ready to help when you’re recovered.” He set the clipboard down as he moved closer. It was still awkward for him to be this close to Grant, but pushed it aside. Lincoln wanted to work on trusting the team more, since he knew it would be important. He was doing fine with the other Inhumans, and his interactions with the two scientists weren’t awful. 

“The head wound is healing nicely. And your shoulder seems good. You’re on track to heal well. With physical therapy, you should be able to bounce back to normal, save for the scar.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Grant responded.

Neither of them knew what to say next, so Lincoln picked up the clipboard again. It gave him an excuse to not look or say anything.

“You care about her a lot, don’t you? Daisy, I mean,” Grant offered up a conversation. He wasn’t sure why he chose to talk about Daisy with Lincoln, but she was the biggest thing they had in common.

“Yeah, I do,” Lincoln responded, surprised by the conversation. He approached in cautiously, knowing the history she shared with both of them. “So do you.”

Grant nodded. “You know everything about what happened before, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“So I’m guessing you hate me? After every awful thing I’ve done.”

“I did,” Lincoln admitted. “When I first met Daisy, I knew I liked her. But I distrusted SHIELD. I only went with them, worked for them because of her. Some of the team was hesitant about me, knowing I didn’t really want to be there, but they dealt with me because Daisy vouched for me. They were wary around me for a long time. I think it was partly because of how much you hurt them.” Lincoln wanted to be honest, but he could see how his words affect Grant. The first time I saw Hive, knowing that you were the host, even though your consciousness was gone… My relationship with Daisy was tainted because of you. She didn’t want to become too attached when things could go that wrong. I know I loved her, told her I did. They were some of my last words. But she never said them back. I didn’t blame her. I blamed you for messing up so badly.”

Lincoln sat down, setting the clipboard down on the nearby table. “I saw the damage your betrayal left behind. I tried to help her recover. I like to think I helped, even if it was only a little. And I took the premonition upon myself to try and right the wrongs that we both made. I know I’ve made mistakes, too, but at the time, I blamed most things on you. I did it because I loved her, and knew if I didn’t do it, she would. I was already injured. I went up, with Hive in your body, ready to die. Then I woke up, and you were alive again, and somehow, earned trust back. I knew Daisy had liked you once, back when she was still Skye. She told me. She told me all of it, about HYDRA and Garrett. I’ll admit, part of me doesn’t trust you. But apparently everyone else does. So I’m trying.”

“I was never really loyal to HYDRA. It was always people. Garrett took me in when I was full of anger at my family, when I needed someone to steer me in a clear direction. He got to me first. He got me out of jail, gave me a chance to do something different. I took it. I never expected to get attached to my team. Daisy was the first to start chipping away at my walls, no matter how much I wanted to push her away. She was the once piece of the puzzle I never anticipated. I got attached, but I had too much loyalty for Garrett. I stuck to the plan, and hurt them all worse than I thought. I didn’t expect Daisy, Fitz and Jemma to come to trust me that much. I hurt Fitz badly when I dropped him and Jemma to the bottom of the ocean. At the time, all I wanted was them to stay alive. But Garrett gave the orders to kill them, and that was the only way they could have a fighting chance of surviving.”

Grant sat up, looking directly at the other man in the room. “I know my actions are unforgivable. I know I messed up, and sometimes, I don’t feel like I deserve a second chance. But I’m not the only one SHIELD let try again. Black Widow? She got a second chance and she became an Avenger. Sure, things are a mess with them now, but she got the chance. She was one of the highest ranking agents. She was forgiven more quickly, but I think that’s because of the people who had that power. Fury wanted another person to add to the Avengers Initiative, and Agent Barton bonded with her. She didn’t hurt them personally as bad as I hurt the team. Not based on what I know due to my former clearance. I know things are different now, that they grew stronger and closer when I was gone. I didn’t expect to be given another chance. But I was.”

“And Daisy?” Lincoln asked, mentioning the girl who started their first honest conversation with each other.

“I cared about her more than pretty much anything the first time around, and I admit, I was a little intense at times. I tried to keep loyalty to her even when working for SHIELD, but she wanted nothing to do with me. I moved on for a while, but before I finally died at Coulson’s hand, I wondered how she was doing, if he would tell her what had happened. When I woke up, my first thought was to find out if she was okay. And yes, I still trust her the most of the team, and probably always will. But she’s family now.”

After a few beats of silence, Grant asked the question he had been wondering about. “You still love her, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do,” Lincoln responded. “I think I will for awhile, even if she needs space. Honestly, I’m just glad to be around her again. I’m still working on trusting everyone else. Joey and Elena I can handle. We were on a team once. Inhumans stick together and whatnot. And I’ve been working with Jemma recently, so I’m becoming friends with her. But I don’t trust too easily, so it’s been hard to get close to everyone else. I was determined to keep hating you when I first realized you were back. And like I said before, I still don’t fully trust you. But I’m working on it. You seem to have proven yourself.”

“She cares about you, too,” was all Grant offered up, but it was enough.

Neither of them expected to bare their souls to each other, especially since they were far from close. They had barely interacted since Lincoln came back to life, and for a while, were content with keeping it that way. But now, they were both willing to try.

 

* * *

Daisy and Fitz stood in front of the team, ready to fill them in on what they found.

Once everyone was seated, they began.

“Yesterday, Daisy and I accessed the files that Bobbi, Hunter, Mack and Coulson retrieved. In the files was information gathered by someone that a lot of us know and hate. AIDA.”

Daisy raised her hand to quiet down the chatter, noting the look of disgust on the faces of everyone who had lived through the LMD crisis, as well as the Framework. “The last shred of her consciousness is within the files, as that is where the information is stored. She can’t do any harm, and using her knowledge, we were able to get information on not only how the chamber works, but where it is.”

“However, we will not move immediately. We aren’t ready. Despite this, we still have a chance. If we work at it, we can be ready when the chamber is moved in two weeks,” Fitz continued.

“We have to use everything and everyone we have. It’s going to take all of us. But we have a chance.” Daisy looked determined. “I’ll be going back to training with Elena, Joey and Lincoln. Tess needs to be trained. Deke needs more practice. Fitz will break down how the chamber works so we’re all going in with the same information. These next two weeks will be tough, but it’s time.”

“I’ll train Tess,” May volunteered.

Daisy nodded her agreement. Tess knew May, and the older woman was one of their best fighters. “Grant, you still need to heal for a couple more days. Then, Piper will work with you on physical therapy. Everyone else, make sure you’re ready. And Jemma. Please, take care of yourself. You can work with Fitz in the lab, or help Tess out with anything she needs _except_ physical training. Lincoln’s backing me up on this one, so no arguing.”

“Is everyone clear on what needs to be done?” Fitz asked.

Everyone nodded.

“Then let’s get to work.”

 

* * *

 

Tess was excited to get official training, but knew with the deadline they had, and the fact that May would be training her, it wasn’t going to be easy.

She had seen May fight, and it was impressive, even with the leg injury the woman had.

Tess was aware that May had also trained Daisy and Piper. They were both good agents, so Tess was proud to have the chance to be trained by the same woman.

After changing into better workout clothes and putting her hair up, Tess made her way to the training room where May was waiting for her, watching Daisy and Elena spar. Next to them were Lincoln and Joey, working on finding a way to maximize the affect of using their powers together.

Tess knew they were under the most pressure, since they were the ones who would be destroying the chamber. It was their powers that were needed, and they were throwing themselves head first into making sure they were ready.

“You ready?” May asked as she spotted Tess.

Tess nodded. “What’s first?”

“We’ll start with the basics.” May made her way over to a punching bag in the corner of the room, motioning for Tess to follow her. After showing the girl how to wrap her hands securely, May got in a fight stance. “We’re starting with the punching bag. You need to get confident in yourself, while also understanding that it takes strength to really make a mark.”

May proceeded to show Tess the best way to tackle the punching bag, then stood back to watch.

Tess started out carefully, focusing on her technique first before she worked on her strength.

They stayed at the punching bag for awhile, Tess glancing over once and awhile at the Inhumans. She knew she should be focusing on her training, but the way the four worked with each was a sight to see. Though there was room for improvement, they moved fluidly around each other, occasionally using their powers to their advantage.

“Tess, you need to focus,” May called her out.

“Yeah, sorry,” Tess’s cheeks flushed. She knew she was getting distracted, and also knew there would be time later to see the four Inhumans in action. Turning her focus back to the task at hand, she continued with her punches.

After ten more minutes, May decided to work with Tess on different stances that would work to her advantage. The older woman wasn’t ready to start sparring with the girl, but knew that she had to work quickly through basic training to make sure Tess was ready enough to fight with them when the time came. Daisy and Fitz had made it clear that they all had to be ready to fight, not just those who had been training for years for an event like this.

Tess might not have been as physically fit as the agents, since they had been training specifically for events like this for years, and some had powers, but she definitely had speed, likely born from living through multiple Renewals. Also, she had proven herself to have the promise of being a great fighter during their time in the future. When it came down to it, May knew Tess would do what it took to accomplish their goal. She would be a good asset to the team.

It also helped that Tess knew how to use a firearm with accuracy. It would be one less thing to have to teach her from scratch, which would give May more time to get Tess’s hand to hand combat up to strength.

It would be tricky for the members of the team who hadn’t traveled to the future to get accustomed to fighting alongside Tess and her method of fighting, but the team was adaptable. It was helpful that Tess was close with Deke, and knew more than half of the team already.

May spent another hour pushing Tess to do her best, knowing that though Tess might resent the training at first, it would make her better in the end. That’s how it had worked for both Daisy and Piper, and they had the same fighting spirit that Tess did.

Once she was satisfied with the day’s results, May had sent Tess off to take a shower and rest up. Training wasn’t easy, but in the end, it would be worth it.

May spent the next five minutes watching the Inhumans sparring. They switched up the pairs every so often, getting readjusted to each other’s fighting styles. They were quick on their feet, pushing each other to do their best, just like any good team would.

Nodding her head in approval, May headed towards the showers.

When the time came, they would be ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's the longest one so far. I just had a lot I wanted to write, and it ended up being 2-3 times longer than the average chapter, even though I've had a few longer ones. (Don't expect all the chapters to be this long though haha)
> 
> I know there are some characters I don't write much, so I'm going to try and work on that.
> 
> Also, how would you guys feel about a sort-of Ruby redemption? 
> 
> ((I've decided to start making playlists for certain stories/series I'm working on. Songs that inspired me to write the story, or ones that remind me of it. If any of you have songs that remind you of this story, let me know!))


	19. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team, and Ruby, prepare.

Mack, Hunter and Bobbi were methodically filling guns with both regular and night-night bullets, getting their weapons ready for the fight.

They had four more days to prepare, and every thing was going full force. Tess was making strides in her progress, the Inhumans were a sight to behold when they fought against each other. Everyone else was at their full potential, but that didn’t stop them from working hard.

They all slept at odd hours, and they were never all awake at once. Bobbi still made sure everyone got enough sleep, even if she was sleeping at a different time. They slept in shifts, and usually the Inhumans would all be awake at the same time. They had more pressure on them, as it was their powers that would be able to destroy the chamber for good.

The team took turns making food, whoever was awake and hungry making the meal. The leftovers were put in the fridge, ready for the next person.

Some of them hadn’t seen others in days, but there was always evidence they had been around. Whether it was leftovers, a pair of shoes left in the training room, or the way the equipment was left. Elena, May and Bobbi usually tidied up more than the others, but if Fitz or Couslon had been there, they would leave things in specific places.

Jemma was spending her time in the lab, analyzing the schematics of the chamber, as well as any details they had on Ruby. Though Fitz was better with machines, and he did help her when he could, he was often upgrading the weapons, or being a sparring partner for Hunter or Mack. She was frustrated she wouldn’t be able to go out in the field, but she understood. She knew that though she wasn’t bad, she also wasn’t the best fighter on the team. It was her intelligence that was her biggest strength, and utilizing it in this situation was for the best.

Fitz wasn’t completely comfortable with going out in the field, but he would be their on-site backup. He needed to be prepared if the team needed help, but knowing they could handle themselves made it easier. Instead of actively fighting, he would be helping them get through any obstacles, and communicate with the team, and Jemma, who would be in a cafe about half an hour away. They wanted to keep her safe, but knew she would never agree to stay at the Lighthouse. She didn’t like not being able to be with the rest of the team, even though she wasn’t a huge fan of violence.

When Jemma wasn’t gathering research, and Lincoln or Mack, or both, were awake, they would make sure the infirmary was packed with everything they needed.

They added on to a list when they realized they needed more supplies, medical or otherwise, planning to send a couple people out to gather what they needed two days.

Lincoln had already slipped out once with Hayden, as neither of them were on the FBI’s most wanted list. It was possible Lincoln still wasn’t known about by Hale and her team, as he had only been on one mission, and none of her guards had seen him. Hayden, though seen once by Hale’s team, was still a wild card to them, as she had had many coverup identities in the past, and it would be hard to sort through them and figure out exactly who she was. She had done that on purpose during her more active SHIELD days, knowing that one day, it might save her life.

It had been weird for them, since they didn’t know each other. They had only met a couple weeks before, and had no history. But it was necessary to be as inconspicuous as possible, especially when many of them were on the FBI’s most wanted list.

They faced no trouble, however, as they posed as childhood best friends, the cover picked to explain why they might be hovering close to each other. They kept in close ranger in case Hale’s team found them, but no one came for them.

They had gathered the first round of materials, including food. They had also gotten a few items that could be used as disguises, as they would have to be in public at one point, and didn’t want to risk being caught before they got to the chamber.

Not all of them had to worry. Lincoln, Hayden, Piper and Deke were the least in danger. Bobbi and Hunter had been seen by Ruby, and she knew what they were capable of, but as they had gotten away from her before, they weren’t too worried. Tess was a little wary that Hale might be looking for her, and Joey knew Ruby was mad at him for melting her blades, that she wouldn’t hesitate to go after him. Grant was known to be alive by Hale, and even though he had proven his loyalty to the team, it was likely she wouldn’t hesitate to go after him again.

May, Coulson, Mack, Jemma, Fitz, Elena and Daisy were the ones on the FBI’s most wanted list, so they had to be the most cautious. Daisy especially, as she knew in Deke and Tess’s future, she’d be the one causing mass destruction. She didn’t want to risk that future coming to pass.

Which is why, she had been firm on the point that she would be wearing her gloves until she had to take them off to help her Inhuman teammates destroy the chamber. She couldn’t risk anything going wrong.

In order to make sure she had a handle on her powers, as she hadn’t used them much in weeks. But now, with the battle in sight, and with her Inhuman teammates helping her out, she was gaining confidence again.

 

* * *

Daisy held her hand out in front of her, walking forward as she pushed Elena back with her powers.

For the first time since finding out she was known as the Destroyer of Worlds in the future, Daisy was embracing her powers. They had the power to destroy, but they didn’t have to destroy the planet. She could work with her teammates to destroy the chamber.

Daisy didn’t use them to her full potential on her teammates because she didn’t want to hurt them. She knew how powerful she could be, knew how much damage she could do. But her teammates were encouraging of her, as they remembered what it was like when they first got their powers.

They had grown close again, and were almost always seen together.

Elena was the one who most often sparred with Daisy. They had the most experience in the field together, which led to the most trust, especially on Daisy’s side, what with her hesitanetness with her powers. Elena also often fought with Joey, their shared language and similar culture strengthening their friendship.

Though they all switched off who they sparred with to get in sync, they had to decide the pairs. The two women were more competent with one on one sparring, as they had more experience. Elena and Joey were going to be a team, and Lincoln and Daisy would be the other.

After looking at the schematics of the HYDRA warehouse the chamber would be moving to, they had decided two of the Inhumans would enter from the back, the other two from the front. They would meet in the middle, and the battle would commence from there.

They knew it was there that Ruby was supposed to be infused with gravitonium, so while the Inhumans would be working to destroy the chamber, the rest of the team would be working to keep Ruby, and those who came with her, away.

The rest of the field team was also in pairs. Hayden and Piper, Hunter and Bobbi, May and Tess, Coulson and Deke, and Grant and Mack.

They knew that they wouldn’t be able to rely on the whole team during the whole fight, so they ensured there was someone that they could count on. Even if they got separated, their skills would keep each other safe.

 

* * *

Ruby pulled her fist back, before punching her trainer, satisfied as he stumbled backwards. She didn’t give him time to find his footing, before kicking his leg out from underneath him, watching as he fell to the floor.

She was breathing heavily as she pushed the hair that had fallen out of her ponytail out of face. Though her trainer had gotten in a few good hits, she had come out on top, and she was satisfied.

“You’re getting better,” he grudgingly admitted. “But you need to be at peak physical condition. Your future is not an easy one. It will not be painless. You need all the mental and physical strength you can get.”

“I know,” Ruby snapped. She was told the same thing over and over again, and it was very repetitive. “I know this is what my mother wants for me, that this is the reason I was born.”

“You will harness the power, and even Daisy Johnson won’t be able to defeat you. Your powers will be able to counteract hers. That’s why we need to get there first. They have to know by now where they chamber will be. You need to be ready.”

“I will be.”

“Good. Because you will face them, and you _will_ win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a short chapter, especially compared to the last one, but hey. This is what needs to be in this chapter. The action is coming.
> 
> Also, I'm still trying to decide which path to take when it comes to Ruby. I have my original idea, and then one that formed while writing this story.
> 
> In this story, I want to highlight the fact that Ruby has had this pressure on her her whole life, knowing that this is what her future has always been meant to be. I have the chance to give her a minor, sort-of redemption arc, which is mostly a scene between her and one of the other characters. It's written out, but I'm still unsure if she'll have that chance, or if, like in the show, she'll die.
> 
> Either way, she will not be immediately forgiven for her actions, but seeing more into her life and her relationship with her mother might help people understand a little more.
> 
> Feel free to voice your opinions.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to see if this concept interested anyone before I fully committed myself to it, as I'm busy with my "self-sacrificing friends stay together 'til the end" series.
> 
> I have more of this story written, and know kind of where I want it to go. Feel free to let me know if you want to see a scene between certain characters, or anyone else to enter into the story.


End file.
